


Not part of the plan

by powertrip1000



Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, F/F, Mentions of Murder, Revenge, Sex, Smut, referenced rape outside of main characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:21:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 42,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23309821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/powertrip1000/pseuds/powertrip1000
Summary: Helena Bertinelli returns to Gotham fifteen years after the death of her family seeking vengeance. Dinah Lance was so not part of the fucking plan.
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Dinah Lance, Minor Dinah Lance/Oliver Queen - Relationship
Comments: 85
Kudos: 214





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Non- vigilantes AU

When she was twelve years old, Helena Bertinelli was sent to Italy following the death of her parents and brother. The death was covered as a highly profiled tragedy, where a car bomb was planted by eco-terrorists in her father’s Bentley. They claimed the Bertinelli factory was destroying the environment. The car bomb killed five people in total, her mother Maria, her father Franco, her little brother Pino, their family chauffeur Antonio, and their bodyguard Fernie. 

Fifteen years ago today… and Helena had not forgotten. Everyday she watched street cam footage of the car pulling up outside the office building and watched it explode as people on the street screamed and fled, and her family burned.

Many of her childhood memories were blurred nowadays. Blurred with the last memory of her mother hugging her tight that morning, her father ruffling her hair and kissing her cheek, and her little brother’s laugh when they ran around the kitchen during breakfast. It replayed in her head like a bad horror movie. That day she was dropped off at school like any other, high-fiving her dad’s bodyguard Fernie and laughing at a joke from the chauffeur Antonio as her parents took her brother with them to the office. 

The car bomb was set off by a remote detonator as soon as it pulled up outside the front doors of Bertinelli Motor Company, live footage of the flames and wreckage were on every news station in the country all day and weekend long. 

Helena had no clue that across Gotham her family was gone forever, she had been writing a math test when the principal came by to pull her out of class. She was immediately taken home to her distraught grandparents, Rosa and Aflredo Bertinelli, who had lost their only son, their daughter-in-law, and their grandson all in one go. 

Helena had seen her grandmother lose herself in grief, her grandfather close himself off in agony… and she watched the footage every day since. 

It numbed her to the core. She had just seen them and then they were gone. For a long time her emotions were in denial and she couldn't speak. 

A child psychiatrist recommended a boarding school outside of Gotham and away from the media so Helena could grieve in privacy and peace. Her grandfather stepped down from the day-to-day of the company and only attended board meetings.

The terrorists found responsible were captured, confessed, and sentenced to life in prison. 

Helena was sent to live on the island of Sicily in solitude at the family estate, given private tutoring. Her grandparents visited every three months to see how she was adjusting. It wasn’t until she was sixteen that she smiled at them genuinely again, when they visited on her birthday and allowed her to get a motorcycle, her passion for engines and machines made her feel close to her father and mother, both engineers. At eighteen she was accepted into the world’s top universities, ultimately choosing Sweden. Even though she had been accepted to Oxford and their university was more renowned for mechanical engineering, Sweden was where she was adamant to go and her grandparents accepted her decision. 

What they didn’t know was that with not much to do, Helena explored every single inch of the Sicily estate and came across a secret. A secret that changed her. 

Now, fifteen years later, after having completed her studies and gone travelling around the world for a year and half, Rosa and Alfredo Bertinelli were excited to be welcoming their granddaughter Helena Bertinelli back to Gotham for good. 

They didn’t know what she knew… the secret she was guided to discover by a higher power. 

That terrorism was not what killed her family. And she was going to get her revenge. 

\--

\--

The air in Gotham was not as fresh as Sicily, or even Sweden. There was always noise in the distance… It was a city that never sleeped. 

Helena had been back in Gotham about less than a month so far, and her grandmother and her society friends were all over throwing a big welcome home party for Helena’s return. 

“Have you had enough to eat, Helena?” her grandmother Rosa was always trying to feed her something. 

“Yes, Nonna,” she answered back. 

“Can we go shopping for the party? I’m so excited!” her grandmother was very focused on such superficial things, and Helena knew it was her coping mechanism. 

“Sure.”

Later that day found them in a high-end boutique, Helena holding her grandmother’s purse as the older lady made the sales aide take items for them into the dressing room. 

“I know you love your black but this white suite is just to die for!” Rosa held it against Helena, “maybe that’s a look we can lock in our minds for when you finally get married, huh?”

Helena blushed, “how about that dark purple blouse?”

Her grandmother had an evening gown on five minutes later, letting the tailor take in some of the shoulder so it sat better on her frame.

“Oh Helena, you look gorgeous,” she gasped as Helena came out of her changing room in a black suit with a silk purple blouse peeking out. 

“Yeah?” She looked in the mirror and nodded proudly. “Nice.”

“It fits perfect,” the sales aide approached her, “like a glove.”

“We will take it! Go find some shoes sweety, your biker boots won’t do. And look at more suits that style, you’ll be starting at the office next week.”

Helena didn’t fuss, her grandmother was right. She couldn’t show up to work in jeans or motorcycle attire...

After a day of shopping and hanging out with her grandmother, Helena joined her grandfather in his study back at the mansion to take him his afternoon coffee. 

“Thanks Helena,” he smiled at her and put his reading glasses down. “Have fun with your grandmother?”

“Yes.

“That’s nice,” she sipped his coffee and sighed, “I’ve been working on my new sailboat, what do you think?”

Helena smiled -- her grandfather loved his hobby of making boats in bottles. 

“It’s great.”

She sat there with him for an hour and watched him work at his hobby, listening to him explain it. 

They had family dinner before the welcome party would happen and Helena excused herself to go get ready after. With her new suit and a pair of dark purple suede heeled booties she found that day, Helena took time to complete her daily ritual. She opened her laptop and watched footage of the car burning to gear her mind back towards revenge.

She opened up a few of her saved files on her targets, targets that would all be at tonight’s party, and she took one deep breath before heading back downstairs to play loving granddaughter. 

At the party, Helena was introduced to more people in thirty minutes than she had been in her entire life. 

She stuck close to her grandparents, politely meeting all their friends they wanted to show her off to, politely answering questions about her studies and travels, and politely smiling.

Lounge Scorch was the city’s hottest venue right now, with rich red velvet booths, classy jazz music, and a space for a couple hundred of Gotham’s most rich and famous. Helena’s welcome back party was just another excuse for them all to show off and brag. 

Club Scorch was owned by Junior Galante, Stefano Galante’s oldest son. 

Stefano Galante was the man who had ordered the hit on her family. He was her grandfather’s business partner and oldest friend, and his son Junior had his hands in almost any club this city had, the night life was his chunk of change. 

Helena was going to destroy Galante, take everything from him until he had nothing left. 

She excused herself from her grandparents to go to the restroom, relieved to find it was empty as she looked at herself in the mirror. 

Her anger had started to rise when she saw Stefano Galante greet her grandparents with hugs and laughter -- he was responsible for killing their son and he was still their closest friend. 

It sickened her and she leaned over the sink to try and meditate. She pictured dousing him in gasoline and setting a match, watching his body burn…

This calmed her down. 

She leaned back and fixed the stylistic touch of her hair, touching back a stray strand. The door opened to the bathroom, interrupting her solitude. 

The woman who walked in was very beautiful and recognizable.

Dinah Lance. 

Helena had first met Dinah Lance at Gotham Prep, a private school for the wealthy kids of the city. Dinah’s father Larry was a rich trust fund man thrown into the army at a young age which gave him a mature edge after serving two tours in Afghanistan and being honourably discharged. He had gotten seriously involved in his father’s entertainment company after his military experience, and this is where he met Dinah Drake, a wannabe singer with a killer voice. He fell in love, produced her music, and while Drake won Grammys and he made millions, they welcomed Dinah Laurel Lance: their first and only child who was thrown into the celebrity spotlight at a young age. 

The daughter of Dinah Drake and Larry Lance had always been followed by paparazzi her whole life. Helena remembered them being caught on school grounds sometimes trying to interview her on the school quad. 

Nowadays, Dinah was famous all on her own. Known for her huge social media following, occasional acting gigs, and most of all: her debut album reaching number one. 

Even in Sweden Helena had seen a billboard of Dinah Lance rocking a perfume advertisement, and heard her newly released club single at the gym she trained in. 

Despite all the fame and distance in their lives, Helena had known Dinah from kindergarten days and that was how she remembered her: the girl who always sent her smiles in hallways and classrooms.

They were in the same class with the same uniforms since they were five years old. She went to Dinah’s organized birthday parties, Dinah came to hers. They had paired up for science projects, exchanged math notes, and Helena always looked forward to Dinah’s friendly smile like it was a secret just between them. 

But here they were. In the Scorch Lounge bathroom, alone. Dinah had walked in and was at the mirror next to Helena, reaching into her clutch and taking out a lipstick to touch up her plump lips.

“You’re Dinah, right?” She put her hands awkwardly into the pockets of her dress pants and eyed Dinah who was done touching up her lips and now eyeing her cautiously. 

“Who’s asking?” She raised an eyebrow at Helena through the mirror. 

Helena felt nervous when Dinah’s gaze took in Helena’s full attire through the mirror before crossing her arms. That gaze definitely lingered. 

“You’re not a reporter, are you?”

“I’m not a reporter, don’t worry...” Helena turned towards her, eyes no longer looking back through the mirror but now directly. “It’s me, Helena.”

Dinah’s eyes widened at that and Helena cleared her throat a little. Right, Dinah was famous now. She probably didn’t remember any Helenas. 

“Bertinelli? We went to school--” 

“Oh my god I know who you are Helena! This is your party I came to! You got tall!” Dinah’s hands covered her shocked smile and then she dove forward and hugged Helena with that smile Helena remembered from when they were young girls.

“Welcome back to Gotham! You look… great.”

“Thanks,” Helena felt warm from the compliment, she had been unable to return the quick embrace with her hands still in her pockets but Dinah had already let go and was smiling that smile. 

“Nice to see you too… you look,” acknowledging how beautiful Dinah was with her blonde-dyed hair, gorgeous dimpled smile, and all gold skin tight crop top and pants like she was walking the Paris runway was not the vocabulary Helena felt comfortable using. She settled for saying, “lovely.”

Dinah’s smile widened at that. “Thanks. So. It’s been so long, I heard you went to Italy?”

“Yeah,” Helena said. 

Dinah’s gorgeous smile dropped, “I… I am so sorry about what happened to your family.”

It wasn’t what Helena expected, as of now, the people she had met upon returning, no one had really offered any condolences whatsoever. 

“Thank you... Being back home brings back a lot of memories...”

Stefano Galante laughing outside flashed in her mind again and she looked down at her feet so Dinah wouldn't see the anger in her eyes. 

“Of course… you know, my dad and your dad were good friends. That’s what he told me, anyways.”

“Yeah, boarding school and all,” Helena smiled genuinely. So far this was the only interaction she felt free of playing a part. She felt that little girl she was creeping out, happy to be remembered. 

“Let’s grab a drink and catch up!” Dinah led the way out of the bathroom and to the music of the nightclub. 

“Sure.”

Helena’s eyes betrayed her focus by watching the sway of Dinah’s hips as she led them to one of the side bars, her hand tugging Helena by her wrist. 

“You drink?” Dinah asked her, dropping her wrist. 

“Gin and tonic, two of them. For my grandparents.”

Dinah raised a brow, ordered herself a beer and two gin and tonics from the open bar. 

“So this is your welcome home party, huh? Nice. I heard you’re going to be working with your grandfather? You studied engineering in like Sweden or something?”

So word was getting around. 

“Yes. Lund, mechanical. He wants me to shadow around, learn the business,” Helena raised her voice just a little to be overheard by the lounge music as the live band started a new song, accepting the two gin and tonics Dinah passed into her hands.

“What about you?” Helena watched Dinah’s throat as it swallowed a sip of beer, “In Sweden, I heard your song.” 

“Mhm,” Dinah laughed, “I’m opening for some concerts this year, it’s exciting! How’d you like the song?”

“Your voice is exceptional,” Helena complimented, “In our boxing gym it’s everyone’s favourite warm up song.”

“Thank you! You box?” Dinah’s eyes twinkled as she asked in excitement. 

“Babe!” A voice interrupted them and Helena recognized Oliver Queen, billionaire from Star City. 

Like her family, the Queen family was wealthy and the hotels they owned around the world were in partnership with Helena’s family too. The Bertinelli name was known in the automotive industry, but they had 20% of shares with the Queens. Oliver Queen’s father, Robert, closed the deal with her father one month before he died. With her parents having passed away, Helena inherited the shares of her family and was now considered a board member of Queen Industries. 

Robert Queen was in on her father’s assasination, and he was the other man Helena pictured burning alive for what he did. 

She knew Oliver was also Dinah’s fiance. Despite her lack of social interactions, Helena had done her homework thoroughly. It was only a matter of time before she ran into the Queens. 

“Oliver, this is--”

“Helena Bertinelli,” Oliver smiled genuinely at her, and threw an arm around Dinah, “nice party. Welcome back.”

“Thanks.” 

He kissed Dinah’s cheek and then looked back at her, “so… heard we are in the same boring meeting tomorrow morning. Why throw a party and a meeting so close together?”

Helena responded, “work hard play hard.”

“Right,” Oliver chuckled, “anyways... we will catch you later, I’m going to steal my fiance for a dance.”

“Wait, Oliver--” Dinah moved from his arm and then pulled Helena into another quick hug, “we need to hangout sometime! Later, Helena!” 

As she was led to the dance floor, Helena watched them go for a moment before she made her way to the table her grandparents were sitting at and placed the two gin and tonics in front of them. 

Meeting Dinah again sent a strange chill up her spine, but she paid it no further mind. There was only the mission. 

“If only all grandchildren were that considerate!” Stefano Galante joked with a slur indicating he was a few drinks in. 

Helena clenched her fist tight and forced a chuckle. 

What a motherfucker. 

“Nothing for you, my dear?” Alfredo took his drink and leaned in to kiss Helena’s cheek with a happy smile

“No,” Helena said, “tomorrow is a big day. We have an early meeting.”

“What’d I tell ya, she is a Bertinelli all right!” 

Helena turned her attention to where people were slow dancing to jazz music and noticed Dinah Lance was staring at her over Oliver Queen’s shoulder. 

Realizing she was caught, Dinah simply gave her a smile, exactly like the ones she gave to her in the hallways. For a small moment, Helena forgot about where she was and she smiled back. 

Dinah’s smile grew in return before Oliver twirled her around and stole her attention away. 

Helena’s smile dropped ever-so to a more deadly degree as she watched Oliver laugh into Dinah’s ear. 

Fuck that distraction. 

She had not just spent the last years of her life in Sicily, in Sweden, and travelling the world to lose focus now. 

Helena had a list and it was time she made Robert Queen and Stefano Galante pay for what they did. 

\--

\--

Early the next morning Helena pulled up on her brand new Ducati, engine roaring to her reserved parking spot at Queen Industries’ Gotham office. 

As she removed her helmet, she noticed Oliver Queen with sunglasses and a hot coffee step out of his green lamborghini at the same time. 

“Morning!” he raised his sunglasses and didn’t hide his lingering stare as she side-swept her hair and got off of her bike, “now, how is it you look so gorgeous this early in the morning?”

The fact that he was so openly flirtatious was a good thing -- the first step in her master revenge plan required Oliver Queen to be an unfaithful douche. And she had a private file on all of his private affairs to know he was. 

Still, it was not cool. Dinah was so faithful and kind, and he took her love for granted. 

She rolled her eyes at him, and got off the bike. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I just think it’s hot.” He walked with her to the doors of the building. “So, cool party last night. Dinah loved it.”

“That’s nice,” Helena said, actually pleased to hear the last part. 

Her and Oliver arrived in the meeting at the same time, five minutes early but still the last ones there. The board was all there, her grandfather Alfredo Bertinelli, Oliver’s father Robert Queen, mogul and best friend of her family Stefano Galante, Galente’s oldest son Junior Galante, and last but not least the old money patrons and investors Thomas and Martha Wayne. The Queen’s had 35% shares in their own company, Bertinelli's 20% (10% were Helena’s from her father), Galante’s 20%, Wayne’s 10%, and the last 15% were public trade. 

The Wayne’s had a son, Bruce, who died of a congenital heart disease when Helena was eight years old. He had been a classmate of hers, same class at Gotham Prep, they used to play together at recess, both fans of Power Rangers and running a lot… Helena used to write him get well soon cards until he passed away. 

The Wayne’s were known for their charities, their support of National medicare, their hospitals around the world and in other parts of the world. Their fundraiser benefit idea for the hotel that would go towards medical care for needy children was incredibly important to them. It was to be done through Queen Industries because public shares had dipped recently, with all Board members making private donations ahead of time and paying for the fundraiser as well. 

The hotel chain was the most profitable business the Robert Queen ran, it was what he was known for. 

And that was exactly why Helena would take it away from him. 

“Wow Helena, you are beautiful like your mother,” Martha Wayne was up and sweeping her into a tight hug, “welcome back to Gotham.”

“Thank you Mrs. Wayne,” Helena was let go of the uncomfortable but well-intentioned hug, and decided to tell them, “you know Bruce and I played together during recess at Gotham prep… I still remember him. He was a good friend.”

Martha’s eyes tear up and she nods as Thomas shakes Helena’s hand, “We remember your parents too, Helena. They were good people. May all our loved ones rest in peace.”

“Thank you sir,” Helena nodded and then sat down at the table next to her grandfather. She spoke to him in rushed sicillian, apologizing for her bike-riding gear. 

He chuckled, “Helena is sorry she came dressed this way, she’s going along the coast after the meeting for a ride. Just like her dad with her love of motorcycles I tell ya. She’s started helping in our Motor Company headquarters, she has a degree from Lund in mechanical engineering!”

His bragging made Helena feel all eyes on her and she gave a tight smile in return, “looking forward to learning more.” 

Robert whistled, “Impressive. No worries my dear, I’m dressed for golf as it is. Great party last night too. Did you see this morning’s paper, Oliver?”

Oliver quietly sat down at the table taking a gulp of his coffee and not at all hiding his hangover. “Didn’t get a chance to Dad.”

“You and Dinah leaving the club last night, great photo. Front page of entertainment and business too...” 

“Good promotion for Scorch,” Junior Galante said, “appreciate the business Helena.”

“My pleasure Uncle J,” Helena greeted Junior with a more genuine smile. Junior and her father were like brothers, they studied together, they partied together, he was even the best man at her father’s wedding. 

How would he feel when he found out his own father murdered his very best friend? 

“I think we can all agree on the fundraiser, everyone has copies of the revised hotel contract?” Junior asked the room. 

“We can make a formal announcement that all proceeds of our shares will go towards the cause, that will help also,” Thomas spoke. 

The rest of the meeting was everyone talking except Helena, she observed and listened. Ideas on what to do bounced around, Martha Wayne really wanted it to be more donations focused and less party focused...

“What about you, you've been quiet there, little Bertinelli,” Junior was the one who called her out. 

Aware that all eyes had shifted to her now, Helena raised a brow and pretended to think even though she already knew exactly what she would say. 

“I think…”

She purposely waited until Thomas and Martha Wayne were listening -- they were the ultimate deciding factors and she needed this to play out in her favour. The first move of chess was an important strategy. 

“...we should tie the fundraiser in with Oliver and Dinah’s engagement party.”

“What now?” Oliver raised his eyebrow, “we were planning for June, that’s in like three ! This party we are planning for is in April which is next month.”

“It’s just a suggestion,” Helena said, shrugging her shoulders, “Dinah has a huge social media following as a celebrity… the coverage will be large, like that Scorch article. Your public image will improve which is critical for our hotel brands… but most importantly people are more likely to donate if you guys get behind the cause with your celebrity influence.”

And as soon as Helena saw Thomas Wayne smile, she knew the first move was played. 

“That’s a great idea,” she enthused. 

“What exactly about my image needs to improve?” Oliver challenged her. 

“Helena means the insinuations that you party away the money,” Junior pitched in. “It may not be true but the public eye has their judgements.”

“I think it would be great,” Robert told his son, “whether you have an engagement party in April or June doesn’t really matter, does it Oliver?”

“I would also like to donate 5% of my shares earnings this year to the cause,” Helena added. 

“Wow,” Thomas looked at Helena with a critical eye, “I got my eye on your granddaughter, Mr. Bertinelli, she thinks differently. I like it.” 

\--

When the meeting was done, Helena walked with her grandfather to his limousine in the front of the building. 

“Helena,” Alfredo said with a proud smile, “I can’t say this in there without sounding like a biased grandfather but… you do have a good mind for business. Just like your father.”

“I’ve learned from watching you,” Helena complimented him. 

He smiled, a warm and loving smile. “My precious granddaughter… you are truly a blessing in my life. God bless you with all you desire… I wish I had been a better grandfather. Been there for you more.”

“You are the best grandfather… I am very proud to have the Bertinelli name. Proud to be your family.” 

His eyes started to water and Helena paused, shocked to see her grandfather start to weep. 

“God at least left us you, when he took them away.”

Her heart clenched as he sobbed in pain. 

“R-ride safe now, will see you at dinner.”

“Nonno, are you okay?” She asked him in Sicilian. 

“I will be fine… just… I need to go.” He sniffled and she helped him sit in the backseat of the limousine. . 

“See you, Nonno,” Helena closed the door for him and watched as the limo pulled away from the curb. 

When he disappeared down the street, Helena headed back for her motorcycle. It was time for the next phase of her revenge. 

“Thanks by the way,” Oliver was still parked beside her, leaning on his lamborghini with his arms crossed. 

“For what?” she gave him a confused look and sat astride her motorcycle, relieving it from its kickstand. 

“I don’t know, for moving my engagement party sooner? Making it about something else?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, “you’re being sarcastic aren’t you.”

“Yes! Come on Helena, that party is for me and Dinah. Now it's another socialite event like any other. We wanted to do a yacht retreat with friends, not rub elbows with all this donor bullshit.” 

Helene did not hide her eye roll. 

“Grow up Oliver,” she told him pointedly, “you and Dinah are still engaged and still getting married… that’s about you guys. You can still do your whatever yacht thing later. This is about getting money for children who need medical attention.”

He scoffed, “right. It’s not at all about, what did you call it? Dinah’s social media following and my public image.” 

Helena just put on her helmet, choosing to ignore him. 

He still pressed forward in a challenge, “you’re up to something! I know it. All your ass-kissing to the Wayne’s, donating 5% -- nobody does that. I got my eye on you, Bertinelli.” 

She was thankful she had her helmet on, otherwise Oliver would have seen her face freeze from his accurate accusation. Fuck, he was a little smarter than she pegged him for. 

This time instead of saying anything back, she simply revved the engine and sped off on her bike, hoping Oliver got a face full of exhaust. 

What a fucking man-child, how did Dinah ever fall in love with him?

She explored the coast of Gotham as she had told her grandfather, but she had another agenda for the day. 

\--

Nicole Brown was a contact she had found out about through her world travels in Amsterdam. For the right price she was a prostitute, but only for entrapment and anything less than 100K was refused.

As master of disguise and deception, getting Nicole’s contact had taken a lot of hoops. 

Helena had an appointment for lunch and she could not be late, this was a critical point. 

She was in Chinatown, parking outside of a place called ‘Doc’s’ where the tables were plastic and the smell was actually mouthwatering. 

“Give me a number 32. Mild.” 

She sat by the window and waited, thanking the elderly man who placed her meal in front of her. 

“So.”

Nicole Brown sat down across from her with blonde hair and large sunglasses. 

“I set up the account,” Helena pushed the food across and watched as Nicole dug into it. 

“Here’s the burner,” Nicole slid a phone across, “we communicate on this and when it’s done we dispose of them. Take out the sim and break it, burn the phone. The emails are untraceable.”

“50K wired now,” Helena slid over a transfer code, “rest after you’re done.”

\--

It was nothing personal against Oliver, he was just an easy mark. 

It was all part of bringing down the Queen name and with it their stock prices.

After she was done with Robert Queen, she would take care of Stefano Galante and the Policeman Captain Patrick Erickson who helped frame the eco-terrorists. 

Revenge on the people responsible for the car bomb that killed her family. That was all that mattered. 

Tonight was the night things really moved into play. 

The burner phone Nicole had given her rang, and Helena answered right away. 

“Is it done?”

“Done. Emailed the photos now. Guy was easy.” Nicole was clinical and Helena appreciated that about her. 

She checked the dummy email account she had set up and rolled her eyes at the various positions. Nicole only sent shots where her face was not visible but the authenticity could not be denied.

“...I’ve wired the rest to your account.”

“Pleasure doing business with you.”

Nicole Brown hung up the phone. Helena took out the sim card and broke it as instructed and then tossed the phone in the nearest trash can. 

She used the same dummy email account to forward the pictures to all leading entertainment journalists with details on when the encounter took place, where it took place, knowing any worthy reporter would find a witness, but part of the plan included that Nicole Brown seduced Oliver in a way that a couple key witnesses would remember in case journalists did their due diligence. 

\--

“Holy shit!” Alfredo slapped the paper down on the table with his coffee spraying the front page. 

Oliver Queen caught cheating, using drugs, and drinking on company dime while still engaged to actress/model/singer Dinah Lance. 

Helena smirked, recognizing the pictures as what she herself sent to the tabloids late last night. She knew it would be the front page of entertainment, but she had no idea it would be the front page of every paper. That was much better for the next part of the plan. 

“What?” She played dumb, reaching for the paper and seeing the picutre the tabloids had chosen. It left nothing to the imagination. “Oh no.”

“Oh no is right!” Alfredo was furious, “I need to go. Queen industries is going to have a field day… Sorry Helena, we can go hunting another day.”

“No worries, let me know if you need my help,” she offered, watching her grandfather call out for the limo to be brought round urgently. 

She smirked and grabbed a donut from the breakfast table to take a huge bite. Success. 

“What’s all this commotion?” her grandmother came down to join them, “where’s Alfredo?”

Helena chewed her donut and wordlessly passed the coffee stained paper to her grandmother who gasped. 

“Oh my goodness!” 

\--

\--

Across the city Dinah was being attacked on all sides from her publicist, to her mother and father fighting over what to do in the kitchen while she ignored Oliver’s calls, which now reached 20 missed, and fighting off the tears that kept trying to escape her eyes. 

How could he? 

“Mom just… take this ring and have it delivered to Oliver’s office.”

Dinah slammed the ring on the kitchen counter, “I am so done with his cheating, lying ass!”

“That piece of shit,” Larry Lance was seething, “I think you should keep the ring Dinah.”

“For once your father and I agree on that,” her mom, Dinah Drake, picked up the ring and held it to the light, “that bastard won’t know what to do with it.”

“No, Mom... Dad. I want nothing to do with him. Nothing .”

The tears she had been holding in started to escape and Dinah felt so foolish, so betrayed. Oliver was the one who had been so persistent to make her his girlfriend, to promise her he would love her forever… to ask her to marry him. 

He was a liar and a cheater and she hated how this felt. 

Her parents ire seemed to dissolve as they held her tightly, and Dinah sobbed into Dad’s chest. 

“It’ll be okay baby,” her mom soothed her, stroking her hair. “It will be okay...shhhhh…”

“How about we unplug from the world?” Her father suggested. “Get out of town for a bit? Let’s escape just the three of us.”

\--

“Stock is down,” Robert Queen looked absolutely devastated, “first Oliver’s stupidity, then this oil spill and my conversation with the lawyer leaked… how did this all happen?”

Helena stayed quiet, watching Robert Queen unfold in front of her eyes. She was logged into her laptop from home and spying on the man’s office as he unraveled. She had snuck spyware into the building and leaned back, satisfied to see him panicking. 

He was her prey and she was the huntress. 

“Fuck,” her grandfather poured a scotch for Robert and handed it to him, “and Moira?”

“She’s divorcing me, Alfredo. She blames our son’s behaviour on me, all the times I cheated… she’s got enough evidence against me to get the house, the vacation houses, the cars, the plane! She’s on a fucking vendetta!”

Having enough of his whining, Helena went in for the kill while he was wounded. She logged into the stock exchange under her pseudonym FMP and she smirked. 

\--

An hour had passed and Helena watched the live feed in anticipation. 

“Ugh, Robert,” Junior had joined them at the office, walking in through his door and sweating. “Something weird happened.”

“What more could possibly go wrong!” 

“Some shell corporation called ‘FMP’ just bought out all public shares, and just bought from Wayne too.”

“What the fuck!” Robert was up from his chair, “who the fuck is FMP!” 

“Calm down Robert,” her grandfather urged him. 

“How can I calm down! Some unknown company is trying to take over our shares! Get Wayne on the phone now!”

They called up Thomas Wayne and he answered, “Robert.”

“You sold your shares, Wayne?”

“I can’t have my foundation connected to this, Robert. It’s business.”

“Yeah well fuck you!” He hung up and paced the office in feral anger. 

“That’s still only 25%,” Alfredo reasoned, “and we ain’t gonna sell any shares, ya hear. You will maintain control.” 

Helena chuckled to herself. Little did her grandfather know that at the right time she was going to transfer the Bertinelli 20 to make FMP 45% and surpass Queen. 

FMP. Franco, Maria, Pino. 

\--

\--

Two weeks passed since her play on the Queen shares, and the news outlets were finally starting to settle down stories. More of Oliver’s affairs came to light when reporters dug deeper, Robert Queen had to sell off some of his international properties to pay off company debts. He lost weight from the stress, and his wife divorced him and took more than half of his assets too. 

“How’s the office with your grandfather going, Helena?” Rosa Bertinelli sipped some wine and peeled potatoes, content to watch her granddaughter do the same thing. 

Sometimes when looking at Helena, she could see the similarities to her son, Franco. It would hurt and comfort Rosa at the same time. 

“Good,” Helena would always answer with one word. Getting her involved in conversation had always been tricky. 

The only quality of a Bertinelli Helena did not have was that of speaking. She was quiet and thoughtful, not brash and chatty. Actually, the other quality she did not have was shortness. She was tall and had great legs. 

“Good?That’s all you got to share with me? What did you learn today?”

Helena was very fast as she peeled another potato from the bowl Rosa had set aside. “What not to post in an email chain. The department sent out email guidelines.” 

“That hardly sounds like the work of a future C.E.O.”

“Hmm… I’ll start shadowing Uncle Junior next week,” Helena responded, “I’m sure that will help me understand his job better.”

“Good. I won’t have the last Bertinelli sit on the sidelines in our family business… your father made that company what it is today, you know. He was a visionary. Your Uncle Junior is excited to teach ya everything he knows.”

“I know…” Helena’s voice was uniquely quiet all of a sudden, “I promise to always honour my parents, Nonna.”

“They would be very proud of you,” Rosa said quietly, trying not to think of the dead though her lip quivered. “I mean… your Nonno and I want you to be happy, that is all.”

Helena was quiet and said nothing. That hurt Rosa’s heart even more. Deep inside she knew Helena was not a happy person. She was in pain. She could see it in her eyes, saw how empty she was inside, and Rosa felt helpless every single time. 

Sending her away to Sicily alone sometimes felt like the right decision when she saw how well Helena turned out with her studies and career, but truly the guilt was there. That she had emotionally abandoned her granddaughter because she had been too depressed to be strong for her. 

Rosa dropped her peeler and started to cry, holding her face, “I miss them to this day… oh how I miss them. Alfredo and I have never really been there for you…we don’t know how to make you happy, Helena!”

She felt Helena hugging her and sobbed into her granddaughter’s shoulder. 

“I was too weak to be there for you, I am so sorry…” 

“I miss them too,” Helena clutched her closer and tightly to her chest. “I thank God I have you both...you have never failed me...” 

Her crying slowed down and they stayed embraced for a long while, healing in their hearts. 

“You’ve got a good technique for peeling potatoes,” Rosa eventually complimented her.  
“Any more wine my dear?”

She released Helena and wiped up the tears on her face, pouring more wine from the bottle and embarrassed by her moment of weakness. 

“Sure,” Helena grabbed a fresh potato and looked up to smile at her -- and gods if that smile wasn’t so much like Franco’s. “Thanks.” 

“You know… you remind me of him, your father. You have his smile even though you’ve got your mother’s side of beauty… her features, that woman should have been a model you know.”

“Tell me something,” Helena said after a moment, “about them, I mean. Things maybe I wouldn’t know?”

“Let me tell you about your father’s prom night with your mother, it was the first time I met her…Maria was so nervous!” 

It was plenty of hilarious stories and many potatoes later that their butler, Tony, came by with the phone saying Helena had a call. 

“Who is it?” Helena looked utterly confused. There was literally no one who would call her at home. If it was work related, she answered her cell phone which was in her pocket. 

“Ms. Dinah Lance,” Tony said, “I told her I would check if you’re home.”

“Larry Lance’s girl?” Rosa asked. “Heard they went out of town for a couple of weeks with all the media harassing her. Why is she calling you?”

Helena was confused too… there is no way Dinah would know about her part to play in Oliver’s tabloids, right? Nicole Brown was unknown, Helena had kept things untraceable...

She gave her grandmother a shrug. 

“Poor thing, having her engagement broken off like that… are you both friends? You were in school together from kindergarten to grade six! Your cute school uniforms I still have in the attic ya know.”

“Not really friends, we met up again at my welcome home party last month...” Helena turned back to her grandmother, “she can leave a message… we’re about to start cooking.”

“No no no,” Rosa pointed at her, “go and talk to her and I’ll start cooking. Go. That poor girl has just been humiliated nationally, she deserves a friend. Shoo. Go.”

Helena sighed and dried her hands off on a dish towel before following Tony outside the kitchen to where he handed over the closest phone. Her grandparents kept vintage gold plated phones in different parts of the house, this one was in the house foyer. 

Clearing her throat, Helena answered. 

“This is Helena.”

“Hi Helena,” Dinah’s voice sounded exhausted, “this is Dinah… Dinah Lance.”

“Yes, um, hello…” Helena said back, noticing there was no anger so this probably had nothing to do with Oliver. Good. “How can I help?”

“I know this is super random but… remember when we talked about boxing? Well… I was wondering if you’d be down to train sometime? Friendly match? Spar and stuff… I heard you also fought mixed martial arts in Sweden.”

That was not what she had been expecting, “yeah I fought at university… I didn’t know you trained...”

“Ha… my dad has a private gym, he's nuts about it… Are you free tonight by chance? I’m just… aching for a good workout.”

There was an edge to Dinah’s voice when she said workout, but Helena dismissed it from her brain. It made sense that Dinah was stressed out right now. 

“Tonight?” Helena chewed her lip, the idea of a spar sounding very tempting. It had been a long time since she’d done more than a morning jog in Gotham... “I’ll just… I am about to have dinner with my grandparents and then yes, I will be able to come.”

Seeing Dinah would also be nice… seeing her smile. 

“That’s great, thanks. I really… I really need a distraction right now. How’s nine?”

After getting the address and saying goodbye, Helena went back to the kitchen. 

“She okay?” Rosa looked up from the pot of now boiling potatoes and asked. 

“Yeah she… she wants me to join her training tonight at her father’s gym. I said I will join her after dinner, by nine pm.”

“This Dinah,” Rosa glanced back at Helena, “she’s dated women before you know.”

Helena didn’t know, “She has?”

“Yep. That gorgeous actress in that movie with the alien... anyways, if she is heartbroken over that idiot she may very well be looking for something to distract her.”

The innuendo was very obvious and not at all a conversation Helena ever expected to have with her Nonna. 

“I’m… I wouldn’t--” though the edge she heard came back to Helena’s head in an echo ‘ aching for a good workout’ and ‘ I really need a distraction right now.’ But no way her grandmother was that perceptive. Still, Helena blushed. 

“Hmm… and of course she meets you one time and you are at the top of her list. You’re beautiful, tall, rich… your Nonna wasn’t born yesterday you know.” 

“Nonna it’s not like that, we barely ever talked in school and our conversation was less than five minutes at the party.”

“Five minutes longer than any other conversation you had, Helena.” 

Helena rolled her eyes. 

“No wonder you’ve never had a girlfriend, Helena. Listen to me, take her some food after we’ve eaten, and if she doesn’t kiss you I will apologize for running my mouth.” 

“Pft,” Helena rolled her eyes, “she wants to spar, that’s it.”

“I just told you about your father’s prom night, no? Now start some of the pasta please. Your Nonno will be hungry when he gets back from the office.”

\--

After dinner, Helena found herself parking her motorcycle in the secure parkade of a downtown building. She followed the instructions Dinah had given her to go to the tenth floor where the gym was. When the elevator got up the ten floors, Dinah was waiting with that soft smile, leaning back against the wall. 

Her eyes also showed some exhaustion, and Helena could relate to that emotional void a lot. Her grandmother was wrong, that was the stare of someone who desperately needed to punch something.

For a small moment, Helena felt guilty for what she had done which caused the emotional voice, but only for a small moment.

She was the messenger only, Oliver had been a cheater before she blew the whistle. Dinah deserved better than Oliver Queen and his cheating ways. 

Revenge was her only focus. She had no time to feel guilty, the plan was in motion and that was that. 

“Hey, you’re early,” Dinah’s voice was light and happy despite her red eyes, “let’s go.”

Her thumbprint allowed them access into the gym doors, the room was large and spacious with all sorts of equipment scattered around. Weights, machines, punching bags, a dance floor… and in the middle there was even an elevated boxing ring. It was awesome. 

“This place is awesome… by the way, my grandmother sent this for you,” Helena offered some tupperware, “it’s seven different Italian dishes, extra potatoes because we peeled a lot.”

“Oh,” Dinah accepted the tupperware in her hands and read the note on top ‘chin up!’ “wow that’s so thoughtful of her… please thank her for me.”

“Sure. So… this is your dad’s gym you said?”

“Yes… his whole building, actually. The record label is on the top floor, recording studios in the building too… plus offices of our agents. Bottom is rented out to lawyers.”

“Cool.”

“So... what fighting experience do you have?” Dinah asked her, “Kickboxing is my preferred thing.”

“Yeah sure,” Helena dropped her duffel bag and then let her leather motorcycle jacket land on top. Under her jacket she was in a hoodie and track pants, and she sat down to stretch out. 

“Yeah sure? Meaning?”

“I can kickbox.”

“And what else can you do?”

\--

Helena’s back hit the ground and she exhaled, a rare smile on her face. 

“Nice move.”

Dinah reached out a hand to lift her up and got into a ready stance again. “I’m done with warm up, how about you?”

Helena grinned, “sure. ”

They opted for MMA grappling gloves, improvising their match by agreeing no face shots and an eight-second pin would win. 

Feeling a little hot, Helena reached down and lifted her hooded shirt over her head, tossing it outside the ring. Now her sports bra and track pants were all she had on, and the padded fighting gloves. 

Dinah’s laugh paused and Helena felt eyes trail over every inch of her body, it was thrilling and unsettling at the same time. While she had no romantic experience, that gaze was direct enough that her neck felt warm. 

Was Dinah just trying to make a friend in all the chaos of her life right now or was her invitation not-so-innocent like her Nonna suggested? That felt like an ogle. 

Helena gulped. 

Dinah copied her by stripping to her sports bra, lifting her tank top off. 

Helena stared at her exposed skin… Damn purple was her favourite colour and Dinah wore it well. 

“Ready whenever you are,” Dinah kind of purred her words with a dimpled smile. 

Fuck. 

“R-ready,” she got into her own fighter stance, hoping her face was not red. 

They exchanged punches and circled one another, pretty much on an even playing field. 

Eventually Helena saw her opening after dodging one of Dinah’s thrown punches, grabbing the extended arm and flipping Dinah over onto her back in a successful pin, her body weight on top. 

“You’re really good,” she complimented.

“Not so bad yourself,” Dinah was breathless and then before Helena knew what was happening she felt fingers in her hair and lips brushing against her lips. 

Her body lost it’s hold on Dinah’s pin and she dropped her hands on either side of Dinah’s blonde-dyed head, suddenly aware of how intimately they were positioned, legs intertwined and eyes connected. Skin sweaty and warm…

She felt like she had no control and swallowed her suddenly dry throat as Dinah’s fingers ran through her hair, combing it back. 

“Sorry I just,” Dinah didn’t look at all sorry, “is this okay?”

Helena closed her eyes as lips touched her cheek. 

Fuck. 

“Yeah I…” she felt her body get warm, warmer in a way not at all like a workout, “I don’t mind.”

God help her she didn’t mind one bit. 

“You know,” Dinah’s hands moved down her arms and circled her back, pulling Helena down against her body. “You were my first crush when we were little.”

“Oh…” Helena’s voice was like a whisper, she felt a knee raise between her legs and her body reacted with a small gasp. That pressure felt so good. 

Dinah pressed her knee up some more and then started to pump her own hips for more friction. 

“Yes… we were paired up for Art class to make portraits of each other in first grade, and you drew me with your crayons and told me I was nice and pretty… I dreamed we would get married and I got jealous of Bruce Wayne back then because you would play catch with him and not with me.”

Helena has never felt her heart beat so loudly in her chest.

“Dinah…”

“I’m not saying I still feel the same way, we were just kids then,” Dinah says quickly, “but holy shit you are so hot now… when I first saw you… I let my imagination cheat with Oliver.”

This was not part of the plan. This was not part of the fucking plan. 

“I just… want you… so bad…” Dinah kissed her jaw, “I can feel you want me too.”

“Fuck...” Helena exhaled. 

She wants to tell her that her entire life she has closed the door for love, that anytime she has seen a beautiful woman she has ignored it to focus on revenge. That her entire adolescence until now she has never allowed herself any close friends or given into any flings.

Before she can say anything, Dinah’s lips are on hers. 

Her first kiss. 

She closed her eyes and knew she was a goner. 

They kiss gently, carefully at first and then Helena finds herself lost in the sensation of body to body. She doesn’t know where she ends and where Dinah begins but they are panting, grinding, and someone is moaning. Kissing was so nice and she couldn’t stop… didn’t want to stop. They kiss and kiss, and then kiss some more. Dinah is so warm and soft and Helena can feel the pressure building between her legs as they move together. 

Dinah rolled them over and sat up on her knees, looking down at Helena with hooded eyes. 

Then she is throwing her sparring gloves aside and lowering her body back down. Helena groaned softly as Dinah’s lips explored her neck and she felt a hand cupping her through her track pants. 

Dinah’s fingers slipped under the waistband of her pants and underwear...

Helena closed her eyes and buried her face in Dinah’s neck. She never suspected she’d lose her virginity on a boxing ring with Dinah Lance of all people, on a Thursday night. She let Dinah in, let her body give in, let waves of pleasure unlike anything she ever experienced pulse with every thrust of DInah’s fingers. 

It was unlike anything she ever experienced, and her body convulsed in a wave of pleasure as she pulled Dinah closer. 

Dinah removed her fingers and put them in her mouth, licking them clean. 

Helena felt desperate to touch her then, as Dinah’s bit her lip and smiled coyly -- a new kind of smile. 

Without thinking, Helena threw her own gloves aside before praying she gave as good as she got. She reached up to bring Dinah by the neck into a kiss, and then guided her onto her back.

She copied what Dinah had done to her, pressing two fingers down through underwear and exploring wet heat. Dinah’s legs fell open easily so she could thrust inside and Helena groaned. 

“Oh God, Helena, yes,” Dinah encouraged her, nails clawing into her shoulders, “Fuck… harder…”

She gave herself over to Dinah, focused on nothing but her body’s reactions, what made her arch and moan… she kissed those lips again right before she came, swallowing her scream. 

“Oh my God,” Dinah kissed her again, hot and heavy, “oh my god, I’ve never screamed like that before… that was amazing.”

Helena kissed her again, addicted, “yeah it was...”

She removed her fingers and thought to lick them clean as well, but before she could Dinah was attacking her lips again, and Helena palms fell against the mat. 

They kissed longer, and after what still didn’t feel like enough, Dinah was the first to sit up and pull back. She tucked Helena’s hair behind her ears. 

“You know in my imagination, you would fuck me from behind while we were facing a mirror...”

Helena felt heat rush up her cheeks, “oh.”

“Yep… right there in the club bathroom. Never has the real thing been better than what I imagined… I hope it was good for you?” 

“I enjoyed that a lot,” Helena confessed with mild embarrassment, now very aware that her vagina was a little sore from when Dinah had been inside. Fuck that had been so…

She sat up and looked sideways at Dinah’s heavy breathing and satisfied smile. 

“So… now what?” She had never had sex, so she had no clue what after-sex etiquette to follow. 

“I just ended a two year relationship with someone I was engaged to… I’m not ready to be dating right now… Hell, I didn’t even ask if you were dating anyone?”

“Me? No, no one…” Helena didn’t explain more than that. 

“Cool. So… maybe for now, we could be friends… maybe do that again too?”

“Sure,” Helena agreed, maybe a little too quickly. “Can I… can I give you a ride home?”

\--

Getting to Dinah’s penthouse suite was only a five minute ride from one building to the next. When she pulled to a stop at the front, Helena felt Dinah’s hands on her waist cop a feel, up towards her breast, and down towards her --

Dinah was off the bike, removing the helmet Helena had given her to wear and smiling as she handed it back, knowing exactly what her hands had done. 

“You look really good on that bike you know…”

“Thanks,” Helena blushed, nervously trying to think of a compliment to say back, “you look good too.”

She winced after the words left her mouth, but Dinah’s smile was worth it. 

“Why don’t you spend the night?”

Helena froze…

Spend the night? As in…

“I… I can… I just better let my grandparents know so they don’t get worried.”

“People don’t really care about that stuff these days but are they cool with you and women?”

“Yes,” Helena said. 

“Listen,” Dinah reached out to place a hand over Helena’s on the helmet, “spend the night if you’d like, no expectations. No one has to know if you don’t want to.”

Helena made up her mind with shocking ease, “where can I park my bike?”

\--

The penthouse was nice, glass all around with a great city view at night time. Helena had called Tony while they rode up the elevator and told him she would be home in the morning for breakfast and to let her grandparents know...

Dinah took her jacket and hung it up by the door, then took her hand and led her towards the kitchen. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“Water.”

“Here you go,” Dinah poured her some filtered water and then leaned on her hand and watched Helena take a sip. 

“So… Do you even drink alcohol? I have some beers...”

Helena found herself smiling, “I do drink… I prefer red wine with dinner.”

“Huh. Classy. Thought you were more of a beer gal.”

“Beer is atrocious,” Helena found herself sharing, “I think the smell put me off. In my University at Sweden, our dorm always smelled like old beer.”

Helena put down her water and noticed Dinah’s eyes were transfixed on her fingers around the glass, eyes dark and needy like they had been in the boxing ring when she had taken off her hoodie.

When they made eye contact, Dinah walked around the kitchen island and gently pried the glass from Helena’s hand before reaching down to tease the hem of Helena’s hoodie. Her fingers slid up Helena’s abdomen slowly. Raising her arms, Helena allowed the garment to be removed and carelessly tossed across the room. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Dinah’s fingers went up for her hair again, running through it and cupping her head to bring her face down as they met in another kiss. 

Helena would be lying if she said she hadn’t been thinking about when to kiss Dinah again since their last one, less than twenty minutes ago. 

She returned the kiss, more confident in her ministrations now that she had a little bit of experience. Now that she had her thoughts back, she wanted to take things slowly, not desperately. To explore these soft lips and their caress… it was like magic. 

As they kissed, Helena let Dinah lead them by walking backwards to her bedroom. As she walked backwards, she started to strip her clothes layer by layer. First Dinah shrugged off her sweater, then her tank top…

They were in a hallway outside the bedroom door and Helena reached down to lift Dinah’s legs up around her waist and position her back against the wall. She just needed her to stop moving...

“Fuck, Helena, that’s so hot,” Dinah said between fervent kisses, “I can’t take off your bra…”

Helena kept her pinned with her hips and reached for her sports bra to lift it over her head. Her hands got greedy and she helped Dinah with the same, pressing back into her. Fuck, they were topless, breast to breast. Kissing was so much better with the skin on skin. 

“What do you want?” Helena asked her between kisses, letting her hands cup Dinha’s ass so she could leverage herself to grind into her as Dinah grinded back. 

“My… my nipples… Fuck...”

Helena moaned in agreement and looked down at the breasts before her. Fuck. 

She closed her mouth around one and sucked, then she reached up to grab the other one and let her thumb caress the sensitive part. Dinah’s responsive moan was so needy and desperate for more that she found herself once again lost in the motions. It was a blur of touching and caressing. 

She remembers having dropped Dinah on the bed at some point, and watching her hair and breasts bounce a little from the spring. Remembers being helped out of her track pants, and underwear before being tugged down and rolled over. Remembers every second of Dinah sitting astride her stomach for Helena’s fingers to go deeper while she threw her long hair back. Remembers watching Dinah disappear under the covers to use her mouth and make Helena’s body sing from head to toe.

They fell asleep, satisfied and cuddling close. This was not part of the plan, but Helena allowed herself to drift to sleep… this safe and happy she had not felt since was twelve years old. 

The alarm woke them up around 6, noisy and interruptive of a relaxing dream. 

“Fuck, I forgot to turn it off before we passed out,” Dinah groaned, “G’Morning Helena.”

“Morning, Dinah,” Helena watched Dinah stretch and yawn before rolling into her and kissing her shoulder. 

“How was last night for you?” Helena asked after it was clear they were both awake, letting Dinah fiddle around with her hair. 

“Honestly.. The best sex I’ve ever had,” Dinah admitted, “you know, your hair is sexy, the way you toss it over like this… who’s your stylist?”

“I had this done in Sweden before I got here,” Helena said, “I like this length.”

“Suits you,” Dinah said… “Ugh, when you had me pinned up against that wall I nearly had an orgasm right then and there. I think I finally found my kink.”

Helena flushed hotly, “it felt right.” 

“Same question for you?”

Helena was confused, “I think your hair is very pretty too… It looked nice against the pillows when my fingers were inside of you.”

“Oh fuck,” Dinah bit her lip and moaned, “that’s hot but not what I meant… I meant how was it for you?”

“Oh!” Helena’s eyebrows shot up her head, “oh right… I...well…”

Dinah noticed her hesitation and asked gently, “what, Helena?”

“I feel different with you, Dinah. Something about you made me lose control… I’ve never been with anyone before you.”

Dinah’s jaw dropped open and her face paled, “I’m sorry, what?”

The smile disappeared. 

“The gym was my first time,” Helena admitted. “My first kiss, my first--”

“Shut the fuck up,” Dinah was sitting up and now panicking, “are you telling me you were a virgin and I humped you in a boxing ring!?”

“I guess?” Helena furrowed her brows, not understanding the bid deal. 

“Morning my sunshine!” The bedroom door opened and a ghost-face Dinah Lance was face to face with her celebrity mother Dinah Drake, who’s smile instantly dropped when she realized her daughter was naked in bed with someone. 

“Mom!” Dinah screeched as Helena tried to keep the sheet up to her chin so she didn’t accidentally flash Dinah’s mother. 

“Sorry!” Dinah senior was out of the room in a flash and Dinah looked mortified. 

Helena stood up and located her scattered clothing. Well, this was awkward. 

She quickly put on her underwear, and found her track pants somehow under the bed, as well as her sports bra. Remembering her hoodie was thrown around the living room during a passionate kissing session, Helena cleared her throat to get the still shocked Dinah’s attention. 

“I should go, Dinah. Um… bye I guess.”

Helena bravely ventured out into the living room, fully aware of Dinah Drake sitting by the kitchen and brewing coffee. 

“Good morning ma'am,” Helena spotted her hoodie on the floor and gulped as Dinah’s mother’s eyes followed her as she put it back on. 

“So… who are you?” there was a protective lilt to her voice. Very mama bear. 

“Mom, this is Helena,” Dinah was out in a robe now, arms crossed before Helena could respond, “Helena Bertinelli.”

At that, Dinah’s mom’s eyes shot wide open, “Oh… oh Helena . Okay. Well… I am sorry for walking in on you two. I am fully aware how awkward this is.”

Helena was also fully aware that this was very fucking awkward. 

“I… last night was unexpected,” Helena cringed at her choice of words, “we will talk later, Dinah. Have a good day. Nice to meet you, ma’am...”

“Have a good day Ms. Bertinelli.”

As Helena grabbed her jacket and helmet by the door, she turned around and saw Dinah staring at her with a very serious gaze. 

“Can we talk later?” Dinah asked. 

“Sure.” Helena left, no more kisses exchanged and a tension that had not been there before and now was. 

Going down the elevators to her bike, Helena grabbed her cellphone and opened the saved video of the burning Bentley. She pictured her family burning and closed her eyes. 

When the elevator doors opened in the parkade basement, Helena’s eyes were again empty and cold. She could not afford to be distracted. She sat on her bike and revved the engine. Time for the next part of her revenge.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sex, lies, sex, parties, videotape, reveals,... hope this chapter brings it.

Coming to Sicily was like being able to breathe again for thirteen-year-old Helena. Maybe it was the ocean, or the sunlight, and most probably it was the freedom from people’s exaggerated sympathy and the press’s flashing persistency. 

The look on her face at her family's funeral was in every newspaper in the Nation and her grandparents had been so quiet in their grief. Like her it was silence in the soul. A child psychologist they referred her to strongly suggested a remote place for healing because of the public eye, so Helena was sent to Sicily. 

Helena took in a deep breath and watched the ocean, letting it calm her. She was all cried out. Emotionally spent at having lost her three most precious people in the world… 

Days in Sicily were very routine. She woke up, had breakfast, had her morning tutor, had lunch, had her afternoon tutor, had dinner, had her exercise, had a snack, did her homework… and then did it all again. Routine was also recommended by the psychologist and Helena liked having the distractions in the day… but every night she was back to her emotions, thinking of her family being blown up in a car and sometimes torn with wondering whether she wanted them back or wished she had been in the car with them. 

Today she was encouraged by her fitness trainer, Marco, to walk on the beach instead of the yoga meditation he had been pushing her to try out. Marco was ex-army and very stern. Personally, Helena had really enjoyed his kick boxing sessions and she wanted to ask him if he could continue that. The exertion, the pain… it made her feel something and these days she did not feel much. She knew she didn’t talk much, and he never expected her to either, but it made their exercise sessions very one sided. Helena was pretty sure that he was hired to be her bodyguard, not just her trainer.

Now Helena could see him leaning against a tree maybe twenty feet away, talking in hushed Sicilian to his boyfriend. They were fighting lately, about moving in together or some shit. Helena didn’t really care, falling in love sounded stupid. 

“Shall we go, Ms. Bertinelli?” he walked back to her with his kind smile, “time for your bed soon.”

They walked back to the estate and Helena watched as Marco greeted Laura, the kind woman who kept Helena fed around the clock and made Helena clean up after herself. Laura was even more strict than Marco. 

“Go wash up, would you like any snack Helena?”

“No ma'am,” Helena said in her routine greeting before saying her goodbye to Marco, “thank you Sir.”

Laura came to her bedroom after Helena had her shower and nighttime routine. They prayed together in silence, and Helena closed her eyes as tears welled up. She refused to let Laura see them, but she prayed for her family. 

After Laura tucked her into bed and closed the door and lights, the tears would escape. Crying and crying silent tears into her pillow, she would stare into the darkness of the room and questions why God took her family away. As her tears slowed that night, her stomach growled in hunger pain and she recalled the fresh bread loaves Laura had set aside… bread sounded delicious. She sat up and tip-toed out of her room. 

The estate in Sicily had large acres of land they farmed olives to sell oil, a traditional business from her great-great grandmother’s family. The house itself was not very big, three bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. Helena stayed in one room and Laura stayed in one of the others. 

The stairs creaked, but Helena was hungry and did not want Laura to awaken as quietly as she could, so she moved to the kitchen downstairs. She found her bread and decided to walk outside to the garage to eat it in there with the Giulia. 

The garage on the estate had many random pieces of cars and bikes, amongst them was a broken Alfa Romeo Giulia. Her father had purchased it before she was born, and she was told by her mother they both worked on it together when they had come to Sicily for their honeymoon. Her mother was also a lover of cars, both mechanical engineers. They had never finished it, though the few summers they came to the estate as a family she would always see them laughing around the car with one another. 

Helena sat inside the convertible and chewed her bread, finding a warm comfort in knowing her parents used to work on this together. Summers in Sicily...her mother’s temper when Helena and Pino would climb the olive trees.

Her brother Pino loved cars too, always playing with his Hot Wheels cars. It was in their blood.

Maybe she could fix it, the Giulia... Even if she died trying, it would be something she did with them. An anchor tying her to them. 

Helena frowned when she felt something jabbing in her hip. She twisted and turned to grab the offending object. She found a purple toy car and squinted in the darkness. At first, she thought it was one of Pino’s, but the closer she looked at it… There was just something familiar. 

She stared at it hard, trying to remember if she ever saw it before and why her blood was starting to boil. 

And yes... Her father collected toy cars. He had some on his shelf in his home office…

Oh.

The memory hit her like cold water. Seeing her dad grab one of his collector cars from his shelf and taking a small pin from his desk to a spot underneath the axle. He had poked it and out popped a USB drive. 

She had taken a school permission slip to him and watched him do that with fascination. 

Getting out of the Giulia, Helena ran back to her room, almost forgetting to stay quiet until she heard Laura’s distant snores. 

She turned on her lamplight and looked for the point by the axle to press the pin into. Using the tip of her mechanical pencil she was able to jam it, and while the lead snapped, the car opened. And there inside was a USB drive. She plugged it into her laptop and opened it urgently. 

The USB held audio recordings of Stefano Galante’s office titled ‘Galante1’ up until 67. Helena wondered to herself, why did her dad have Stefano Galante recorded?

The years passed and Helena became obsessed.

“Here, I brought you all these toy cars, like you requested,” Her grandfather and grandmother visited her every three months or so, and now Helena was eighteen and gearing up for university. Helena had refused to go back to Gotham for university, she still didn’t feel ready. 

For the last few years in Sicily, she read every article on Galante and her family… observed how the company’s profit margin doubled the year of the bomb and how the ecoterrorists had been suspiciously called ‘harmless’ in the media before they were suddenly car bomb experts and confessing. 

Her gut had been telling her to question and investigate but she knew telling her grandfather or letting her suspicions come to light would not do her any favours at finding out the truth. She needed to get to Sweden where the university offered her the chance to not just study mechanical engineering but to also study the car technology they were experimenting with in their master’s program. That would give her an edge in understanding technology that Gotham or Oxford or wherever else could not if she wanted to have the skills to spy from afar. She needed to know the truth -- and she needed proof for her vengeance. 

“Thanks, Nonno,” she was ecstatic to see him, but the dead in his eyes was still so fresh. Like a walking ghost. She knew she was equally empty inside, if not more. 

“Let’s eat you are so thin,” her grandmother complained, like always. “Are you eating enough protein with your diet Helena?”

“She eats too much,” Laura came to her defense, “don’t know where she puts it all. Helena you’ll never find a nice girl if you cannot learn to cook, you know.” 

“Girls?” Alfredo pointed his finger at her, “no girls until you’re thirty!”

“Not like she can pregnant,” Rosa chimed in. “Now Helena, you’ll have to be careful. With girls you’ll need to learn how to tell if they feel that way or just view you as a friend.” 

“No girls,” Helena promised. She grabbed the box of collector toy cars as her grandparents and Laura teased back and forth. 

“Tch, she’s into cars... girls don’t have a chance,” Rosa grumbled. 

Helena suspected these cars all had similar USB drives inside, and she was correct. There was recorded evidence on one car that sealed the deal, over thirty hours of listening later. 

Robert Queen was recorded saying in a phone call to then detective Patrick Erickson, ‘we need to put an end to this. Franco needs to be gone, Erickson.’ ‘He can have a car accident.’ ‘Call Galante. Stefano will know what to do.’ 

Robert Queen. Patrick Erickson. Stefano Galante. 

“It would be so nice if you came back to Gotham and studied from home,” her grandmother had pleaded with her after the summer came to an end. 

“After my degree, I promise to come home... Come visit me in Sweden?”

In Sweden she learned spyware, she learned cars… she learned fighting… she learned anything she felt would help and hatched her plan to take down Robert Queen, Patrick Erickson, and Stefano Galante. 

\--  
\--

Dinah rolled her eyes as she grabbed her coffee in downtown Gotham. 

Reporters were the opposite of subtle. She ignored the picture taking and the urgent requests for a quote. She was not going to let reminders of Oliver’s betrayal and the thirst of nosy reporters get to her today. Nope. 

The initial betrayal had been a deep cut from someone she committed to and trusted, but now Dinah felt a lot of relief. She was able to refocus on what she wanted in life. 

She sipped her coffee, enjoying the sun in the city streets today and the large sunglasses on her face that protected her from the flashes as the crazier reporters got dangerously close to her. 

Ten minutes later she arrived and entered the secure building of her dad’s company. She had been recording all morning before she stepped out to grab a coffee and she felt a pull to go back to the studio and record some more. 

She greeted the security guards who gave her a sympathetic smile when they saw reporters still trying to capture footage of her from outside. She headed for the elevators and kept to herself as a few people got in and out at the law offices. The elevators stopped at the gym floor, and Dinah’s breath hitched when they opened to show the glass doors leading to the gym, a couple of boxers exchanging blows in the ring. 

That boxing ring reminded her of her late-night tryst with one Helena Bertinelli, the heat and urgency, the release… God she really needed to call Helena and talk to her. 

No way that girl was a fucking virgin with the way she played Dinah’s body. 

“Di,” a voice interrupted her train of thought, making her startle for a moment. 

It was her dad. So of course, all arousing thoughts met an ice bucket in her brain and she coughed. 

Larry Lance had a towel over his neck and patted at his sweaty forehead as he joined his daughter in the elevator with a smile, “congratulations kid, you got a coffee in the scary outside world today.”

Dinah snorted and lifted her sunglasses up, giving her dad a smile. 

“Good afternoon Dad.”

“So, don’t freak out--”

“If you start a sentence with don’t freak out you know I am going to freak out--”

“I just want to prepare you--”

“Spit it out Dad.”

“Oliver is in my office.”

Dinah put a hand on her hip, “I’m sorry, what the fuck?”

“Hey,” her Dad raised his hands in surrender, “I told him you’re booked all day.”

“Why is he in your office?”

“Probably because now that you aren’t engaged, he can’t do business meetings at the dinner table anymore. He brought the quarterly report.”

Dinah let out a sigh. She had met Oliver after her Dad signed the Queen Industries sponsor contract with his entertainment industry. Obviously, it wouldn’t be terminated anytime soon. 

“Is that why reporters knew I decided to bravely step out for coffee today?”

“Yep,” the elevators opened on the floor of the recording studio and Larry stepped out with her even though his office was one more floor up. “They followed him here. If it makes you feel any better, I've been making him wait up there for an hour while I finished my workout.”

“Little bit,” Dinah said to him with a chuckle before letting him kiss her cheek and wish her good luck with her recording session. 

\--

Oliver drummed his fingers impatiently on his thigh, watching Larry Lance slowly flip through a file. This had been going on for twenty minutes and Larry had already made him wait while he worked out in the gym for an hour. 

There was a time Larry would have poured them both a scotch and kicked his feet up while exchanging jokes with his would-be son in law. 

Now Larry was cold and distant, and it hurt. It fucking hurt that not only had he lost the only girl he’d ever truly cared about because of a stupid mistake, but he had lost the two people that used to love him like a son too. 

“Hi honey,” Dinah senior walked into the office, her face down on her phone’s screen, “what would you like me to tell Vernon about the opening again?”

Oliver turned around with a smile aimed at his Dinah’s mother, Dinah Drake, who looked up and realized he was there with a brow raise. She did not smile back. 

“Oliver. Why are you here?”

“I came to drop off the quarterly like always,” Oliver explained. “How’s Dinah?”

“She’s none of your concern anymore you cheating prick,” Dinah albeit snarled at him, “honey? Vernon?”

Larry stood up and put his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, “your call honey. But I’d tell him to go fuck himself. I don’t believe in second chances, let alone a third one.” 

Oliver felt his heart wrench, he had never felt like he measured up enough to his own parent’s expectations and the Lance family had always loved him. He knew he fucked up but to feel the repercussions was too much in that moment. 

“I messed up,” Oliver pleaded, “I’m sorry… if I could just apologize to Dinah--”

“That’s not going to happen,” Larry cut him off. “I told her you were here, and she just wanted to record and be left alone. So, leave her alone Oliver… she is not ready to see you.”

“I love her!” He begged, “Please. I know she still loves me too. I just want to talk to her.”

“She doesn’t love you Oliver,” Dinah crossed her arms and raised both eyebrows now, “you need to let go.” 

“She does love me,” Oliver felt tears brimming his eyes when he remembered all of Dinah’s affection and trust, “it can’t be over. I need her.” 

Larry opened his drawer by his desk and pulled out the diamond ring Oliver had proposed with after he and Dinah had vacationed in the Maldives together. “She asked us to return this to you Oliver. It is over.” 

“No” he shook his head in disbelief, the memory of Dinah’s ‘yes I will marry you’ with the blue ocean behind her and her beautiful dimpled smile… “no, you’re lying!”

“Listen to me,” Dinah Drake got right up to his face and pointed a very finely manicured nail at him, “you will not make a spectacle of this anymore Oliver Queen. You have already humiliated my daughter enough and now you’re coming here with an army of reporters outside to humiliate her more? Take the ring and go.”

“I’m not taking it,” Oliver said back, “but I will leave for now.”

“Oliver,” Larry stopped him with his voice and walked over to him, putting the diamond ring in the front pocket of his jacket and patting it in place with his hand. “She’s moved on. You should too.” 

Oliver swallowed the burning confusion, “moved on? Someone else?”

“Yes. Now go,” Larry walked back to sit in his office chair and kicked his feet up, “next time you can send your assistant to drop off the quarterly.” 

Oliver left the office with a grim expression on his face, burning hot jealousy in his veins. No way Dinah had moved on so quickly… whoever it was Oliver was going to put a stop to it. 

As the door closed behind Oliver, Larry turned to his wife and rolled his eyes. “Cheats on her multiple times and thinks that’s okay? Idiot.” 

“You know it’s true by the way,” Dinah Drake told her husband. 

“What is?”

“Di has moved on.”

“What?” Larry scoffed, “a rebound? Who?”

“I don’t think it's a rebound. It’s Helena Bertinelli.” 

“No,” Larry crossed his arms, “their kid is in fucking Switzerland something.” 

“Sweden, she came back. We missed the welcome party; we went to London that week. I dropped by hers one morning and found them in bed together.” 

“Huh… Di hasn’t mentioned.” 

“This is our daughter, Larry,” Dinah Drake rolled her eyes at her husband. “You know what she’s like. She won’t tell us a thing.”

“That’s true. Like her old man.”

She gave her husband an affectionate smile, “at least she got my common sense.” 

\--

Dinah felt downright electric in the recording booth that afternoon, she sang every high note on point, riffed, and lost herself to her art. 

She enjoyed it and her producer, Harley Quinn, was clapping enthusiastically away. 

“Oh my god Dinah,” Harley passed her a glass of water, “I’ve never seen you sing like that before.”

Dinah raised an eyebrow, “what are you talking about, you said I always have perfect pitch.”

“You sound free,” Harley corrected, “and you’re glowing. Just between us gals, who are you fucking?”

“Fuck off Harley,” Dinah rolled her eyes, laughing away. While they were professionals, they teased each other a lot and Dinah knew Harley meant nothing serious about it. They had become friends in the last year of working together. 

“Seriously though, as your record producer, that breakup did you good girl.”

“It’s not so much the breakup,” Dinah sipped her water, “it’s that after my parents took me to our beach house for a couple of weeks, I had this moment of like… let me just do what I want. Take what I want. Maybe there was someone who I wanted too...” 

“And you did?” Harley raised one of her jewel-studded brows. 

Dinah just finished her water in response.

“You dog!” Harley gave her a high-five. 

Dinah chuckled “Ready to go again?”

“Once more from the top,” Harley went back to the booth and gave her the signal. 

The song she was recording today was about dancing with someone. When she closed her eyes and sang the chorus about moving ‘hip to hip let us sway and sway, until it’s just us baby, no night or day’ she was back in her bedroom grinding with Helena Bertinelli under the covers. All the sensual emotions that came naturally in memory of their sexual dance poured into her voice. 

As an artist Dinah often drew from her experiences to evoke emotion, but it had never come this easily to her before. 

A month had passed now since her hookup with Helena and they had still not talked about it. Helena hadn’t called her, and she hadn’t called Helena. 

She had been thrown into the production of her new album and figured Helena was busy with work. Or something. 

Truth be told, Dinah was the one who took her virginity in a fucking boxing ring and told her she wasn’t ready to date. Not a day went by when she wasn’t thinking of Helena and what to say to her, and every day she let pass by in cowardice. And while Helena had never even sent her a text, Dinah figured the ball was in her hands to call first. 

\--

Helena was confused. 

Why was Stefano Galante so calm? How was he communicating with Robert Queen? Over a month had passed since she had taken over the shares of the company and still, nothing. She surveilled him daily and not a whisper of contact. 

Before proceeding with the next step to overthrow Galante she needed to see him sweat, to see his next move… to--

“Helena!” Junior Galante walked over to her and glanced at the designs on her table. “How’s the new design specs going, Little Bertinelli?”

“Hey,” she sighed, “hard to focus today… but they are going well. It’s cool to work with the electrical speeds.” 

“Good thing you went to Sweden for that program,” Junior complimented her, “let me have a look.” 

Helena moved aside, watching him roll up his sleeves and analyze the documentation. 

“Very nice, Helena. You know, while your father was a great engineer this design echoes your mother’s expertise. She was something else.” 

Helena smiled at his words. “Yeah… she was.” 

“How was the meeting with the design team on the new model?”

“Great. Everything on track.”

“You don’t talk much, eh.” He gave her a war smile. “You look a lot like you mother… but man she knew how to hold a conversation.” 

Helena had heard it from many people before, but she still liked hearing it. “You guys all studied together?”

“Sure,” Junior had a nostalgic look on his face as he recalled, “your mother was a scholarship student at our high school… most beautiful and most smart. People putty in her hands. Everyone knew they were going to get married. We all went to Gotham University, studied cars for the family business, but she studied them with a passion. She was head of engineering for a reason you know.” 

Helena, thinking of her parents, confessed to him, “this makes me feel close to them.”

“Hm,” he was looking at her oddly and whispered, “you really do look like her…”

It was an odd look he gave, like he was remembering something, but he snapped out of it. 

“Sorry… memory lane.” 

“That’s okay,” Helena assured him. “My grandparents say the same, except they don’t know where I got my height from.” 

He chuckled, “biggest mystery. Anyways, keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything, okay? Go home.” 

“Sure. Have a good evening Uncle J.”

“Evening my dear,” he said before leaving the work room. 

Helena headed to her smaller office outside the workroom to change from her office attire into her riding gear. 

The office was mostly empty, and Helena played her part as daytime mechanical engineer while she prepared herself for what needed to be done that evening. 

If Stefano Galante wasn’t sweating, she may have to poke the bear and dig deeper. He was out of town this weekend and maybe it was time she attempted to search his personal office and plant a bug there, not the corporate one. 

The ride home was relaxing, but when Helena pulled up, she noticed a classic Jaguar E-Type convertible, 2-seater in mint condition. It was not a car she recognized the owner of, but it was absolutely a car she found herself admiring. Someone was over for dinner. But who? Her grandparents hadn’t said anything. 

Getting off her bike she went inside the mansion and straight to the kitchen. She was starved and could smell the aroma of her grandmother’s lasagna. Her grandmother didn’t cook every day, but she had called the office to tell Helena her grandfather was craving lasagna, so she was going to make it and ‘Helena better there by 7, not working late at the office’. 

It was exactly seven o’clock and Helena would have dinner and then excuse herself to work on her plan to bring down Galante (before her grandmother tried to size her for knitting a sweater again which took hours). 

At home they only spoke Sicilian and she removed her riding gloves and called out, “good evening everyone.” 

Her eyes found the delicious aroma of freshly baked bread and she approached it. 

The very second her hand lifted to grab a slice of bread, salivating to stuff it in her mouth, was the very second her grandmother was slapping it away and waving a wooden spoon at her. 

“Wash your hands and get to the table.” 

Helena pouted and then realized they were not alone. 

Dinah Lance, of all people, was leaning against the kitchen island, a slice of bread in her hand as she chewed it with an amused smile. 

Helena didn’t mind that she was denied bread and Dinah was apparently not, but she did mind the flutter in her heart when her eyes locked on Dinah’s. 

Fuck. 

“Dinah came over to return the Tupperware and thank me for the meal,” Rosa explained, bending down to open the oven. “I’ve invited her to stay for dinner too.”

“Yeah,” Dinah had swallowed the bread in her mouth and tucked some of her blond hair behind an ear, “I was hoping we could talk?”

“Um.” Helena cleared her throat. “Sure. Yeah. Yes.”

“Cool.”

Helena ignored the pointed look her grandmother gave her and left the two ladies to rush off and wash her hands in her room. 

Ten minutes later, Helena had not only washed her hands but had opted to change into a pair of dark blue jeans matched with a black t-shirt for dinner. 

Her grandparents asked Dinah many questions about her career in the entertainment industry and Dinah shared many interesting stories. Her producer sounded really entertaining. 

Helena had plans to break into Stefano Galante’s home that evening while he was away on a business trip. She was torn between playing good granddaughter and the thirst for revenge. 

But if she was really being honest with herself, she wanted to know why Dinah was here and what Dinah wanted to talk about. Obviously, she knew Dinah came to return the Tupperware and probably wanted to talk about the time or times they had sex but… what exactly?

“Are you always this quiet,” Dinah asked Helena as they were left alone in the living room on different lounge chairs to chat. Her grandparents had claimed an early night, and Helena thanked Tony who brought some after-dinner coffee. 

“That’s what I’m told,” Helena said, a shy smile on her face. “Nice car, by the way.”

“Thanks.” 

The silence lingered. 

“I am… I am sorry I have not called; I was busy with… things… and I assumed you would reach out to me. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“Oh, no please don’t be sorry...” Dinah said back, “I am absolutely the person who should call in this scenario. Thanks for being so understanding.”

“Sure,” Helena frowned, “wait, what scenario is this exactly?”

Dinah chuckled, “Girl, I don’t even know how to describe us. I invited you out to box, we boxed. We fucked. Apparently, it was your first time… which I am sorry about, by the way. And then I invited you up for more, my mom caught us, and we haven’t talked until now. How would you describe it?” 

“It was amazing,” Helena said to her, “I enjoyed it.” 

“Right,” Dinah cleared her throat and whispered, “so no lies, that time in the boxing ring was seriously your first-time having sex? With anyone?”

“Yes,” Helena chewed her lip, “is that really a big deal?”

“You’ve been on dates and stuff? Heavy petting?” Dinah gave her a pointed smirk. “Because yo’ hands knew what they were doing.” 

Helena swallowed her dryness in her throat… she couldn’t lie. 

Dinah noticed the look on her face and her eyes bugged out as she whisper-shouted, “what the fuck! Don’t tell me that was your first kiss -- no way! You actually meant that?”

“I’m sorry,” Helena gave her an apology, “I should have said something, but it was just… it was happening so fast and I didn’t think to say anything. I didn’t want it to stop. It… it felt good.” 

Dinah let out a long sigh and seemed to calm down in her shocked disbelief, “you have nothing to be sorry for Helena, I should never have assumed you were down like that. You’re so hot I figured you had a lot of fun in Sweden or something. And you were the best I’ve ever… I mean...” 

Helena blushed at the compliment and reached out to touch Dinah’s hand, not quite sure if she believed Dinah. “Was I really that good?”

“Girl you made me scream,” Dinah reminded her before covering Helena’s hand with her own. 

Not giving it a second thought, Helena leaned forward and shyly kissed Dinah’s cheek. 

Dinah’s dimpled smile, the one Helena always felt happy to see, grew wider. 

“So um,” Helena watched Dinah’s thumb caress the top of her hand, “what do you need from me?”

Dinah leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to Helena’s lips at her open question, not missing the way Helena melted into her. They kissed long, breaking away only when there was a need to catch their breath. 

“Can we take our time to figure it out?” Dinah requested in a low voice. “I really like you, Helena. I want to keep kissing you and spend more time with you, to be exclusive while we do this.” 

Helena nodded, still breathless from the kiss, “Exclusive meaning we date?”

“Yeah, I guess dating is the right term… But exclusively like, just me. Because I only date one person at a time and with your recent sexual awakening I have no idea what your stance on relationships is.” 

“Me not having sex,” Helena said gently, “it’s just because I never actively sought it… I had my degree, I had to keep my focus. I didn’t feel the need or desire with anyone who asked me or showed interest, until you. You make my heart beat fast, Dinah. I will not be unfaithful to you while we are dating, I promise...”

Dinah looked ready to kiss her, but at that very moment Tony arrived and interrupted them. 

“Ms. Lance, Mrs. Rosa is adamant you take some food home with you.”

Dinah saw the package in his hand and sighed, “thank you. Please tell her I say that.” 

Helena stood up with her and walked with her outside, miffed Tony interrupted them. 

“So.” Dinah stood by her car, “my opening concert is this Saturday, why don’t you come hang out backstage? We can grab dinner after… Drinks? Maybe you can spend the night again?”

“Sure,” Helena agreed, a smile on her face as Dinah leaned forward to kiss her cheek, lingering like she didn’t want to go. 

“I’ll text you the details, then… goodnight.”

With a wink, Dinah started her very cool car and drove away from the Bertinelli mansion. Helena watched the car disappear before her game face came back on. 

Time to spy on Galante. Her grandparents were asleep, and it was the perfect opportunity to sneak out. 

Going to the garage she grabbed the backpack of equipment she had set aside, pulled on a black hoodie and covered her face with a bandana before adding the helmet. 

Stefano Galante was an old bachelor; his wife had passed away when Junior was born. Nowadays he lived in a penthouse apartment off Penguin avenue all alone, one of the older more sophisticated buildings. Helena had been able to copy his keys and security codes from hacking into his work computer, thankful he had never upgraded to cyber tech that needed optical scans or thumbprints. He had always felt the building was secure enough. 

She kept the backpack secure to her shoulders, adjusted her leather gloves, and started the long trek up the fire escape of the building. After twenty minutes of careful climbing, she lifted herself up to the thirty-ninth-floor balcony of his suite. 

She opened the backpack she had lugged up with her and pulled out the crafted replica keys. With a small flashlight she got the door open and snuck inside. The alarm code beeped, but she quickly found the pad and punched in the code she got from hacking his security firm. 

After exploring his place and planting bugs, she slipped back out the balcony and locked up the door. Going down the fire escape was a hell of a lot easier than going up. It wasn’t until she pulled back into the garage at home, stashed her backpack and removed the bandana that she allowed herself to smirk at her successful infiltration. 

She made it back to her room for a quick shower. This week had been mentally brutal, she was not at all close to having the evidence she expected to have against Galante.

These fuckers took everything from her because of money… The whole idea was to take all that money away, to break them. 

After her shower, Helena sat in front of her laptop and watched the footage of her family burning in a car… reminding herself to be patient. 

Her phone buzzed and she frowned, there was no one who would text her at this time of day...

Except Dinah, apparently. Dinah with details of where Helena can pick up her backstage pass on Saturday and saying she was thinking of booking them a table for sushi, if Helena liked sushi that is. 

Helena looked from her phone and to the street cam footage… Galante was going to be at a fundraiser Saturday night with her grandparents, she was totally entitled to spend that time with Dinah, right? She was not letting her family down, right?

Helena bit her lip, closing the laptop shut, and texted back how amazing sushi sounded and how she was looking forward to hearing Dinah sing live. 

Dinah sent her a few emojis in return, heart eyes and kissy faces, and Helena smiled before going to lie down in bed. 

God, what was this woman doing to her?

The phone vibrated again, but this time it was a call. Helena answered it. 

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Dinah said softly. “What are you up to?”

Helena whispered back, “just lying in bed. You?”

Dinah let out a soft sigh, “same… thinking of you. What do you wear to bed?”

“Um… a camisole and cotton pants,” Helena replied. 

“Hmmm do you want to know what I’m wearing? Nothing except a bathrobe. I just got out of the shower.”

Helena felt a warm coil low in her body, finally understanding what Dinah was intending. 

Fuck. 

She inhaled sharply and said to Dinah, “I had one too… kept the water cold.”

“Did you keep it cold because you were thinking about me?”

Helena nodded, and realizing Dinah couldn’t see her she simply said, “yes.” 

“Me too… fuck I even touched myself thinking about you,” Dinah confessed, “I’m touching myself right now wishing it was you. That kiss earlier wasn’t enough.” 

Helena held her breath.

“Why don’t you touch yourself with me,” Dinah suggested. 

Helena was embarrassed with how much adrenaline she felt spiking in her body. She knew she was wet, and her face was flushed with the imagery and suggestive tones Dinah was offering. 

“Fuck,” she closed her eyes let her free hand from the phone tease at the drawstring of her pajama pants. “I’ve never done this before.”

“If I’m going to take your virginity I may as well take your phone sex one too,” Dinah chuckled. 

Helena could not describe how vulnerable Dinah made her feel. What was it about this woman that made her lose control this way? Not just in her body, but with her words. To tell her things and share them?

“I’ve never touched myself,” Helena revealed. 

“You have got to be fucking kidding,” Dinah groaned, “I thought for sure that had to be why you knew exactly how to touch me.”

Helena smiled to herself, “maybe I was meant to touch you.”

“Oh my god,” Dinah moaned, “one hand is on my nipples right now, teasing them. What are you doing?”

“Nothing… yet,” Helena answered truthfully. 

“How about we do it together,” Dinah was sultry, “I’m so wet for you right now.” 

“Uhn, me too,” Helena shamelessly admitted. 

“I’m going inside now,” Dinah was panting, “wishing you were the one inside me right now... “

Helena slipped her hand down herself and pressed up into wetness. She also remembered pushing into Dinah and watching her body arch in pleasure, remembered her asking for more, kissing her and those fucking moans, the ones Dinah was making right now. 

“Ugh fuck,” Helena moaned, “me too. I love the way you look when I’m inside you, pleasuring you...” 

There was an exchange of gasps and moans, and Helena closed her eyes and pressed right into her walls when she heard the strain and final gasping release Dinah exhaled. 

“Wow,” Helena said, removing her hand from her slick with awe at what they just shared. It felt so intimate. 

“Mhmm,” Dinah agreed. “I’m really looking forward to having my way with you on Saturday… Goodnight, Helena.”

“Goodnight, Dinah,” Helena wiped her hand on her camisole and listened to the dial tone on the phone. 

\--

Helena was growing more and aggravated at work. How the fuck had Stefano Galante not sweated even once. Her home surveillance was showing nothing. She had found out he had someone visit him at home for a massage and his computer lacked anything of substance except his last will and testament that left everything to his son Junior, as expected. Junior was his only living relative. 

What was she missing? 

Robert Queen’s surveillance was more successful. And while he had incriminated himself in a few outbursts linking to insider trading, she was still in the dark with any hardcore links to the car bomb. 

The only link was that audio. How did they communicate with each other? Where did they meet?

Saturday came around fast and Helena was opting to take the family limousine tonight after having explained to her grandparents that she had been invited by Dinah to her concert. 

Her grandmother had been adamant Helena wear a suit, but Helena stuck to casual for the evening. It was a pop concert, after all. 

“I’m just saying, you’ve never liked dresses” Rosa fanned her face, “and the suit does a thing to a girl. My friend Gloria said if she was your age, she would snatch you up and devour you in that suit.”

“Gross,” Helena shuddered, she had been on the receiving end of a lot of lingering touches from her grandmother’s friend Gloria. The woman always said she needed her glasses and couldn’t see anything and made Helena guide her around. Helena knew she was lying. She had 20/20 vision. 

“And take flowers,” Rosa added, “if only you had told me earlier about this date!” 

“Is that a thing?”

“Of course, it’s a thing!” Alfredo chimed in. “Jesus help this child.” 

Helena huffed. They were approaching the first destination, which was the fundraiser dinner her grandparents were attending. 

“Hey, um,” Helena chose her moment to pretend she was fixing her grandfather’s cufflink, instead sticking a small bug on his button. “There. Fixed.”

He was going to be sitting with Galante all evening. It was a longshot but maybe it would prove fruitful. She was grasping at straws here and she knew it. 

“Thank you my dear,” Alfredo kissed her cheek and got out of the limousine. “Have fun.”

Her grandmother kissed her next, “flowers. See you in the morning.”

Her face burning red from her grandmother’s knowing wink, Helena sent Dinah an apology text that she was running late because her grandparents took an extra hour to get ready and she opted to come downtown with them instead of taking her bike. 

Dinah’s reply was instant, reminding her where to collect her badge and giving instructions on where her dressing room was after the concert was over.  
\--  
First concert of the year’s tour had Dinah alive with nerves. Helena texted saying she was running late after dropping her grandparents off at a fundraiser, and Dinah felt a new surge of excitement at the romantic evening she had planned. 

“Hey Dinah.” 

Dinah really wasn’t surprised to see Oliver show up to the concert. Queen industries was still a huge entertainment sponsor.

He also knew her hiding spot backstage where she would do her good-luck ritual before any show. Every stage had a dark corner behind the lights and the curtain stage where she would count the number of speakers to ease her nerves. 

“I’m here with some friends and just… thought it would be rude to not let you know.”

It was her first time seeing him in almost two months. She had never picked up any of his calls or replied to his texts, she had dealt with everything third party because facing him after his betrayal was too much. But seeing him now she realized how much the idea of their relationship was what she loved more than him as a person. She had never truly been happy with him. She had been faithful, but she can look back now and realize she had been emotionally trapped. 

In her heart, she was able to look at him and forgive him for cheating… she was even glad he caused her that pain so she could find herself through it. 

“So,” he had an extravagant bouquet of flowers in one hand and his charming grin he relied to get him out of trouble. “You’re not going to punch me, are you?”

“No, Oliver,” she even let a small smile escape at his familiar demeanor. “I forgive you.” 

His eyes shone in gratitude, “really?”

“Really… I know deep down there is a good person… I know you look for affection wherever you can find it with all your daddy and mommy issues… but just give me more time before I can call you a friend again, okay?”

Oliver looked down in shame, “oh right… yeah, okay. Ouch. Friends…”

Dinah gave him a sad smile, “I got to go warm up for my first song.hSo, Hope you enjoy the concert okay?”

“Dinah,” Oliver called her before she could leave him, “please… I still love you. I know you still love me too. We had so much fun… so much we went through together.”

Dinah had a shimmer in her eyes, looking at the broken, ashamed, and lost man in front of her. They had a lot of history…that was true. They had been so close, like best friends. That was why the betrayal was cut so deeply. 

“I did love you Oliver, I agreed to marry you… but if there is any love left, it’s because I think of you as a dear friend. That’s all. I’m sorry but… while we had it good, now I know I deserve to have something great. You cheated on me, more than once. I was so angry at you but I’m angry I never had the strength to break it off sooner. I settled, I wasn’t happy. And if you cheated, clearly you weren’t either.” 

She left him there behind the backstage curtain blind spot, and Oliver gripped the stems of flowers angrily before letting them fall to the ground. 

Dinah was hurt… there was no way she was over him so soon? They had just spent the new year celebrating in Hawaii, discussing their engagement and marriage. Dancing together, dreaming together…

He stood stuck there until a loud roar from the crowd signaled the concert was starting. 

He watched the concert, sad when Dinah never made eye contact with him like she used to at certain verses, with that secret wink just for him. His friends he had brought along were having the time of their lives and Oliver was feeling everything slip away from his fingers. 

“You guys want to go backstage to meet her?” He offered. He wanted any excuse to see Dinah again. He had brought two of his party friends, Michael and Ted, for the VIP experience and shrugged. Dinah would be excited. Inviting them had been tactical, Michael was a famous football player and Dinah loved football. Ted was married to an old friend of hers she lost contact with. 

“Sweet!”

He led them to the changing room, his VIP badge making it easy for the bouncer to step aside. A lot of teenagers and families were getting their picture taken with her, so he waited until the last autograph and photo was signed before approaching. 

“Hey Dinah,” Oliver, cleared his throat at Dinah who had taken to reaching for a robe to cover her gold performance outfit. He allowed his eyes to take her in for a moment of pleasure. “This is Ted Kord and--”

“I’m Michael Jon Carter,” his other friend introduced himself in excitement and shook her hand, “sick concert. Huge fan of your music!” 

“Thanks,” Dinah gave him a happy smile, “My dad and I are huge fans of football, I know who you are, quarterback!”

“Really!” Michael got flustered, “no way!”

“And Ted Kord, right?” Dinah reached out to shake his hand, “boy you dated my friend Barbara back in college, you guys still together?”

Ted flushed, “you remember me?”

“Yeah! You were an athlete in college, right? She was always bragging about you, what did you play again?”

“Track,” he chuckled shyly, “um, we are still together, we’re married. She’s pregnant… She wanted to come tonight but is in a conference in Metropolis right now.” 

“We need to have dinner, I miss Babs,” Dinah smiled, “haven’t seen her for a long ass time.” 

Dinah knew exactly what Oliver was doing… he had brought specific people backstage, not just anyone. He gave her a smirk and she found herself returning it, hoping he took their chat before the concert to heart. Friends was it. 

“Am I interrupting?”

The voice that interrupted them backstage sent a shiver up Dinah’s spine in all the right ways. Helena finally figured out how to get backstage to her change room from the instructions Dinah texted her. Took her long enough. 

“Hey, you found it!” She twirled around to face Helena who looked delicious in her purple bomber jacket, white t-shirt and black waxed jeans. This was not a look she had seen on her new flame yet, and Dinah felt her heart stutter in her chest from the adorable frown on Helena’s face. Her makeup and hair were styled flawlessly, and Dinah wanted to dig her fingers in and kiss her senseless. 

“Helena?” Oliver looked between Dinah and Helena I confusion. He didn’t know they were friends let alone the kind of friend Dinah would offer a backstage pass to. The Bertinelli family were not entertainment sponsors which meant this invitation was personal. 

“Oliver,” Helena gave him a nod. They had been in a few board meetings together while the Queen billions were losing their net worth and his dad lost hair, but Helena was notoriously quiet in them except that time she suggested the engagement party--

“Oh my god, Helena Bertinelli!” Ted reached out enthusiastically, “welcome back to Gotham. I’m Ted Kord.”

“Right, you designed the Blue Beetle Jet that my grandfather wanted me to check out.” Helena tentatively shook his hand. “Cool design.”

“Yeah,” Ted cleared his throat, “and my girlfriend was a classmate of yours at Gotham Prep.”

Helena frowned and glanced at Dinah in confusion. 

“Barbara Gordon,” Dinah explained, “the mayor’s kid? He’s our governor now.”

“Oh yeah,” Helena perked up, “wasn’t she younger than us? I don’t really remember what she looked like...”

“Yeah, she was the year below us, but I played a lot of sports together with her in high school,” Dinah explained to her. 

“Right, you left for Italy, after the um… the bomb.” Ted looked embarrassed at having forgotten. 

“You guys got to come to a football game, I’ll hook you and your dad up.” Michael saved his friend’s embarrassment. “You like football too?”

“Go ahead, tell him what you told me about football,” Dinah dared Helena. 

Helena, unaware who Michael was, shrugged, “why call it football when you don’t play with your feet?”

“Ouch,” Michael pretended to be hurt. 

They all laughed, and Oliver critically watched Dinah lean in closer to Helena. 

Come to think of it… after that board meeting was when the papers got evidence of his sexual relations… 

“It was nice to meet you boys, have a fun night!” Dinah had dismissed them after some photos with Michael and Ted.  
\--  
Dinah turned to Helena now that they were alone. 

“He just showed up, the Queens are--”

“Sponsors, I know,” Helena had her hands in her pockets and pulled something out to show it to Dinah. “Here, my grandmother said I should bring flowers but um, I got you this instead.”

“Oh?” Dinah tentatively took the proffered tin and read the label with a squint, “chromium polish?”

“Yeah, for your Jaguar,” Helena explained. “You have some great chrome detail on it, this will bright it up.”

Dinah felt her heart flutter and she laughed, wrapping her arms around Helena’s neck before kissing her as thoroughly as possibly. 

“Thank you for my gift.” 

Helena smiled, “your voice is beautiful. Thank you for inviting me to watch you.”

\--

Oliver was not satisfied at all with his interaction backstage even though Michael and Ted had gotten their picture taken with Dinah and Ted was still texting his wife about it. Michael posted his to social media to promote the singer and cheered when Dinah had posted it on hers too, tagging him and mentioning how thrilled she was to meet her favorite football player. 

“So, you guys want to go play pool or hit up Scorch?” Ted asked. 

“Honestly bro I am hungry,” Michael groaned. 

“I’ll meet up with you guys in five minutes,” Oliver said. “Just forgot to ask Dinah something.” 

They shrugged and started heading towards the exit. 

Oliver saw the security guards had left the door of Dinah’s change room to check the perimeter. 

There was something off about Helena… he had felt it ever since that board meeting. He tiptoed back to Dinah’s change room door and he peeked through the small opening of the door. 

What he saw was Dinah with her arms intimately close around Helena’s neck and her head thrown back in laughter before she smiled and kissed Helena Bertinelli on the lips. 

Seeing that kiss pieced everything together. 

He tore his eyes away in anger from the way Dinah smiled at that conniving bitch and stormed off to his car. Helena Bertinelli had stolen his fiancée and he was going to find out how and expose her.  
\--

Their sushi had ended up being delivered to Dinah’s penthouse, forgoing the reservation. Dinah wanted to change into something more comfortable while Helena went down to the lobby to get it from the delivery guy. 

Helena approached the door of Dinah’s penthouse raising her fist to knock. She paused and swallowed before lowering her fist to reach for her phone. Maybe she should text instead?

No she should knock. 

No, a text!

“For fuck’s sake,” she closed her eyes and took in a deep, calming breath.

Nervously she grabbed the makeup compact in her bomber jacket pocket and lifted it to double-check her eye makeup was on point. With a tiny fluff of her hair she put the compact away and gave herself a confident nod of determination. 

She knocked twice and inhaled sharply when she saw Dinah reveal herself with a wide smile. 

“I kept the door unlocked for you,” Dinah teased. 

Dinah was now in a pair of grey sweat shorts that were so small they were almost like underwear. Her hair was tied back in a loose bun instead of down, and she had a cozy looking long sleeved black shirt. 

Helena didn’t know where to keep her eyes, Dinah’s legs were the main attraction, but she also had such a beautiful neck and face, and the eyes were so intense and…

“Sushi” Helena heard the croak in her voice and cleared her throat before raising the takeout bag in her hand. 

Dinah stepped aside as her smile grew to let Helena inside. “You look really nice today by the way. Sexy.” 

“Thanks,” Helena stepped forward and remembered the last time she was here… how they had kissed from the kitchen to hall to the bedroom… how good it felt. “You too.”

Dinah closed the door behind her, the thud sending a chill down her spine as the security alarm beeped to indicate it was locked down. 

Dinah took the takeout bag from Helena’s hands and went to her kitchen island to plate the food. 

“You can hang your jacket by the door. I opened us some wine I got for you, it’s from um… Sicily.”

Helena followed her wordlessly, removing her bomber jacket so she was left in her white tee. This was good because her body was feeling incredibly warm. 

“I was thinking we could sit on the sofa, chat and chill,” Dinah grabbed her hand and led her towards an artistic, off-white ivory sofa passed the kitchen to the glass windows. The room was very dimly lit as she placed the plate of sushi down on a coffee table next to the decanted wine. 

Helena watched as Dinah poured them both a glass, watched her wrists and inhaled the familiar perfume of her body. 

“How was your day?” Dinah asked her, offering a glass. 

“Work was um… cool,” Helena accepted the glass and took a sip. “Thanks. This looks really nice, Dinah.” 

Dinah smiled, and took only one sip before placing the wine glass back on the coffee table and curling up close to Helena’s side, one of her hands snuck behind Helena’s neck and toyed with the nape of her neck before curling up into her hair. 

Helena put her wine down on the raised table beside and turned into Dinah’s body, eyes on her lips before drifting down her neck and back up to see the intention in her eyes. 

They both knew this was the purpose of the invitation, and with their wine barely savored and the sushi all but forgotten as Dinah’s other hand snuck up Helena’s shirt against her taut abdomen, rubbing gently along her muscles, they kissed. 

Helena leaned into the kiss, eyes fluttering shut and letting Dinah take the lead. She groaned when Dinah deepened the kiss before moving away from her mouth to kiss down her neck. Helena reached for Dinah’s face to bring those tortuous lips back and kiss them again, wetter and deeper. She felt addicted to the way each new kiss electrified her body. She was aroused and not at all shy to let out another groan as Dinah’s hand lightly scratched her before creeping up to cup her breast through bra. 

“Can I take off your shirt,” Dinah’s hot breath was in her ear, requesting it in a very desperate tone. 

Helena helped her lift the t-shirt by the hem so Dinah could see the extra thought she had put into her lingerie today. It was a Victoria’s secret cheetah print set and Dinah’s lips were back on hers with rigorous approval. 

“Oh Helena,” Dinah moaned, moving down her neck with little nips and bites and then to her chest. She found it so sexy, how heavy they were breathing and how needy Dinah was saying her name. 

Helena braced one arm behind her head to grip the sofa, her other hand pressed against Dinah’s shoulder blades to keep her close. 

“Fuck,” she breathed out, watching Dinah lean back to hastily remove her own black long sleeve. She revealed a very racy black bralette, detailed in fishnet. Her nipples were visible, and Helena bit her lip in appreciation. 

“Mmm you like that?” Dinah was back curled at her side, kissing her neck again before giving her a deep, wet kiss. 

Helena shuddered when a stealthy hand pressed against the seam in her jeans, boldly rubbing. 

Her eyes shut in reaction. After collecting herself, she looked down to watch Dinah’s fingers busy undoing her jeans button. She reached forward to touch the fishnet bralette, to curve her fingers over Dinah’s hips. To touch wherever she could. 

Dinah was kissing her again, hands on her abs, in her hair, in her bra, on her arms… Helena was so relieved when one finally reached inside her tight jeans to press against her underwear. 

“That feels good,” she told Dinah, almost breathless. 

“You drive me crazy, Helena.” Dinah kissed her again before she leaned back and stood up from the sofa, eyes taking in Helena’s breathless and ready body. 

Helena watched carefully as Dinah dropped to her knees, one at a time, and reached forward to tug her jeans down, tugging the zipper for permission. 

Well. 

Helena lifted her hips to let Dinah peel them off her. Left in her matching boy cut cheetah panties, Helena watched Dinah press against her with a thumb and tease before rubbing her hands-on Helena’s bare thighs and giving her a look that was downright sultry. 

“Can we take this off too?”

“Yeah,” Helena watched them slide off her legs and gulped. 

“God you’re so wet for me,” Dinah gently pushed her thighs to the side and slide her body right in between, laying gentle kisses to Helena’s hip bone. She was transfixed as Dinah pressed kisses along her navel, her nose ring dragging along with each kiss.

Helena reached back to brace herself for what was coming. She gripped the sofa behind her head in anticipation with both hands. 

Dinah let her fingertips tease the inside of Helena’s thighs next, rubbing up and down. “You know, I do a lot of tongue twisters for vocal warm up… but I’ve been saving one for you.”

“Oh, fuck...” Helena tensed as Dinah’s lips got closer and closer to their intended destination, her breath both warm and cool where Helena was most sensitive. 

From the moment a tongue swept into her, Helena was digging into the back of the sofa with her hands, the sensation was so overwhelming and amazing. Dinah’s tongue was doing things to her body she had never imagined feeling. She closed her eyes to revel in the sensation as sweat started to glisten her skin. 

“Fuck, Dinah…” she gasped as Dinah changed from tongue gymnastics to sucking hard. Her body shook and she dared to look down between her legs. She found Dinah’s hungry eyes watching her with a gaze so heady Helena couldn’t look away. 

In that moment, Helena realized that Dinah had planned this whole scenario out -- had worn her hair up ahead of time in preparation to…

Well, fuck. 

Helena relinquished her death grip on the sofa to reach down with both of her arms and press gently into Dinah’s hair. She just wanted to touch her in that moment, grab onto her, and Dinah pressed harder into her with a strong flick of a tongue. 

Her release came suddenly, like a rubber band snapping throughout her body as she shook with a gasp, closing her eyes as Dinah all but groaned into her and guided her through her waves with a few slower and deliberate licks. 

She sighed and pushed herself to sit up as Dinah leaned back on her heels, a wicked grin on her face. 

“You’re amazing,” Helena told her, this time not averting her gaze but really letting her eyes devour the woman in front of her. “That felt incredible.” 

Dinah stood up and grabbed a napkin, wiping at her lips and chin before walking over to straddle one of Helena’s thighs on the couch and rock against her. 

“You taste really good,” she whispered. She ground down into Helena’s thigh, and Helena could feel how wet she was through the shorts. It was so hot she felt her pulse start racing again. Helena let her hands pull Dinah in from her very tight and defined ass, guiding her to grind. 

“Mhm,” Dinah closed her eyes and Helena felt how warm she was as she rocked back and forth, picking up her pace. 

While she was distracted in her grinding, Helena flipped her around so her back hit the sofa and they were spread out on its length, legs intertwined. 

Before Helena could even attempt to remove Dinah’s shorts, Dinah was kicking them off and tossing them aside, her long legs parting for Helena’s waist to tug her close and continue her grinding. 

Helena ground down into her, angling her body up with her arms so there was better friction. She pressed her lips to Dinah’s panting mouth and reached down, rubbing her thumb against Dinah’s clit to aid the sensation until Dinah gasped and arched into her body.  
\--  
  
\--  
  
\--  
Fuck!” Dinah screamed into her pillow, the tension from her body loosening as the best orgasm of her life crashed through every nerve of her body. She is pretty sure she just fucking ejaculated. 

Helena rolled off her naked back where the taller woman had been grinding down into her ass for the better half of an hour, three greedy fingers deep in Dinah. Helena had been such a tease as she curved and probed, and whispered in Dinah’s ear asking her if she felt good…

Dinah couldn’t move. 

Helena was breathing hard to catch her breath and staring up at the ceiling. She lifted her three fingers, very slick from Dinah’s orgasm, up to her mouth to suck them clean. That last one was different in how Dinah clenched around her. It was like she could feel the pulses of her entire body. 

They had made their way from the living room sofa grinding, to Dinah’s luxury shower for a lot of kissing and fondling, and for the last hour they had been naked and sweating in Dinah’s silk sheets as they rolled around. 

Helena was considering sex to be a full body workout. Her arms, her obliques, and her core were all totally burning. 

“You okay?” She asked Dinah after the woman hadn’t moved for over five minutes. 

“Am I okay?” Dinah’s voice was hoarse and her question rhetorical as she turned on her side to look at Helena. Her hair had come undone and she looked as drained and content as Helena felt. “I think you found my G-spot.”

“What’s a G-spot?” Helena asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. 

Dinah cackled, “oh man. Look it up later when you have a minute.” 

Helena huffed, and then rolled on her side to face Dinah. 

“Dinah can I… can I spend the night here with you again?”

Dinah’s smile softened, and she reached forward to hold Helena’s hand. Their fingers were intertwined, and she reached with her other hand to move Helena’s hair from her forehead where it was sticking from their perspiring activities. “Of course, I would really like that.” 

They stayed staring at one another that way, smiles on their faces, until Dinah’s stomach growled in hunger and Helena admitted she was equally famished. They opted to finally go have the sushi that had been neglected. 

Never in her life had Helena felt so happy, and unknown to her Dinah was thinking the same thing. 

\--

Helena raised her eyebrows at the google search results of ‘g-spot.’ 

“What are you reading?” A voice disturbed her, and she shut her phone off, hoping no one in the office saw her flushed cheeks. 

“Just um, stuff.”

Thankfully Uncle Junior didn’t question her further. 

“Sorry to stick you with this report, Helena,” Junior dropped a document with a heavy thud. “Lots of bullshit lawyer stuff we need to be prepared for with Robert Queen's trial. Can’t believe he’s lost so much so fast. Last fiscal year was his best to date.” 

Helena tried to hold back her smirk. 

“Uncle J,” she started tentatively, “let’s say I wanted to buy a property in secret so my grandparents don’t know about it, how would I file the paperwork for that?”

“What would you need that for?” He raised his brow at her. 

“Their anniversary is coming up,” she deflected easily. “They’ve been talking about starting a free clinic for a while now.”

It was the truth, just not the reason she was asking. 

Junior’s suspicious gaze disappeared then, “Ah. Right. Okay, well. One thing I learned from my dad was properties. You need to get it through your own shell corporation, something new so it’s not in company records. Start a free clinic foundation or something.” 

Helena knew this already but played dumb, “right. Your dad has always been good with secret property. That’s what grandfather says, anyways.” 

Junior shrugged, “he was paranoid about our inventory getting robbed if people knew our warehouse locations.”

It wasn’t much but Helena went home that night and reviewed all the properties in Gotham owned by unknown shell companies that transported metal. 

There was one down by the docks, one that Robert Queen’s car GPS showed he visited Friday nights between 7pm and 11pm. It was a long shot, but it was her only shot. 

When she looked into the property documentation, she found Stefano Galante’s signature and she finally had a lead. 

That had to be the place they met to talk, and she needed to scope it out on Friday. 

\--

The press was starting to ask more questions about her upcoming tour, news about her new album, and less about her fallout with ex-fiancé Oliver queen. 

Dinah was attending this Gotham cocktail party for the Wayne Foundation largely because her mother mentioned Helena would be there too, as a plot to coax Dinah into some more public outings. 

Her parents' concern was the press thinking Dinah couldn’t handle being in an event that Oliver would be in, and they thought she needed to publicly show she had moved on. They even suggested she attend in the same car as Helena, but Dinah was not about to ruin a good thing that frankly hadn’t even started yet. 

What she had with Helena was private and just between them, she didn’t want to be involved in all the public nonsense of a relationship. She wanted the escape that Helena gave her, to really be herself and nothing else. 

She ignored the hurried questions of ‘Miss Lance is your new song about breaking up with Oliver Queen?’ and ‘Miss Lance what are you wearing today?’ and the variety of ‘Miss Lance over here!’ from the flash-photographers. 

The Wayne party had a piano player, cocktail dresses and business casual. Nothing too elaborate or fancy which was a nice change from all the black-tie bullshit. Dinah had opted for a disco style gold dress. 

“You look stunning honey,” her mother said, leaning over to kiss her cheek. 

“Thanks Mom, hey Dad,” Dinah kissed her mom back and then did the same to her father. 

“Hi,” a voice greeted them. 

Dinah looked up to see Helena Bertinelli towering taller than her father in stylish white pointed high heels, sleek high-waisted black trousers, and a white crop top. Her hair was tossed over with a fancy hair clip pulling back one side, elegant diamonds on her ears, and light flawless makeup to enhance the beautiful face Dinah couldn’t stop thinking about. 

“Hi Helena,” Dinah shyly tucked her hair behind her ear and ignored the eyebrow raise she could feel from her mother. 

“Here’s a beer for you,” Helena passed her a glass of untouched beer. 

Dinah’s heart fluttered. They had exchanged brief texts on their way over and Dinah had joked how she needed beer. 

“Thank you,” she took the glass and sipped it, the smile on her lips widening as Helena’s cheeks turned notably red and she casually put her hands in her pockets of her slacks. 

“So, Helena,” her father cut in and kind of puffed his chest a little. 

“Yes sir,” Helena returned his serious look. 

“For fuck’s sake,” Dinah laughed lightly, “just call him Larry.”

“I like being called Sir,” her Dad pouted. 

“I like the whole ma'am and sir vibe too,” her mother chimed in. “Larry was in the army, so he used to say it to me all the time. Still on special occasions too.”

Dinah rolled her eyes when her parents exchanged a private smile. Fucking nasty. 

“When I went to Sicily my fitness trainer and housekeeper were both ex-Army. They taught me that,” Helena shared. 

“Nice!” Larry started talking about his time in the army and Dinah tuned out of the discussion with ease, admiring how Helena committed minimal polite sentences and gave her a small smile. 

“You were friends with my father, right?” Helena asked Larry. 

“Oh yeah!” Larry laughed. “Your dad and Junior were a riot, your mother too. Always up to something, always having fun.”

Helena smiled, “they were always laughing together.” 

“Yeah, I know your dad and Junior didn’t agree on a lot of things in business but if your mother was involved, they both agreed.” 

It was a strange comment, one Helena had never heard before. Her dad and Junior not agreeing on things? Junior always talked about how much they agreed on things. 

“Well, I have to go now,” Helena said at last, “My grandmother was too tired to come with me tonight, so I have to collect dinner for her.”

“Where’s your grandfather?” Larry asked her. 

“He’s in Star City for the weekend,” Helena replied. 

“Oh, yeah, I think Junior mentioned that they needed to go organize some of that bullshit that went down with Queen Industries.”

Dinah was pretty sure everyone heard the way he sneered ‘Queen.’ 

“Dad,” Dinah gently warned him. “We are beyond that now.”

“Still bullshit.” Larry defended his statement, “but hey if the man cheats on his marriage of course he will cheat in business too.” 

Dinah changed the subject, “so, you got to go, huh?”

“Yeah,” Helena said back, “I… can I text you tomorrow?”

Dinah felt a lot of warmth in her face as she answered, “yeah sure… of course. Bye.”

Helena grinned and left them with a polite smile. Dinah avoided her mother’s knowing gaze as she watched Helena’s walk off like a model, eyes admiring the view of her shoulder and arm muscles… of her ass. 

“That poor girl just asked permission to text you. She is smitten. Can you just admit she is your girlfriend?”

“Oh my god, Mom.” Dinah covered her eyes in embarrassment. 

“She’s okay,” her father commented into his wine glass. “Not very talkative.” 

Dinah raised an eyebrow at her father. For him, ‘okay’ was the compliment equivalent of ‘I approve.’ 

“Honey you need to drag her to some parties for pictures, she is stunning. You guys make a beautiful couple. And the buzz for your new album would help.” 

“We are still taking things slow, mom,” Dinah warned her mother again. “Don’t scare her off.” 

“I’m just saying, you’ve had dinner at her house, why can’t she have dinner at ours?”

“Mom.” 

“And if Rosa Bertinelli is personally calling you for parties that means you are in, Di.”

“You guys are ridiculous.”

“Fine, sheesh. Your father and I are off for the night, Di. If you see Oliver just walk away and about that birthday party on Friday, I suggest expensive jewelry.”

Friday was Helena’s surprise birthday party; Helena’s grandmother was not actually sick this evening but was covertly planning it out for Friday. Dinah knew as much because Rosa Bertinelli had called her privately that morning to ask her to come, and asked if she didn’t know what to bring for Helena ‘flowers was a good option.’ Thank God her parents were not going to be at Helena’s surprise party, they’d probably try to arrange her fucking marriage and Helena’s grandmother would probably agree…

Dinah thought it was fucking adorable how close Helena was with her grandparents.

“I buy your mother jewelry every birthday,” Larry teased her. “Or ling--”

“Shut up Larry,” her mother playfully shoved his shoulder. “We will send you pictures from Mexico, darling, Bye!”

They kissed her cheek goodbye and Dinah opted to finish her beer in peace from their parental commentary before she went to greet the Wayne’s and make her donation. 

It was after chatting with Thomas and Martha Wayne and handing them her check that she ran into Oliver. 

“You look beautiful in that dress Dinah. It doesn’t wear you. You wear it.”

Dinah turned to him with annoyance, “Yes, Oliver?”

“So, you and Bertinelli.”

Dinah was shocked at his words. She had expected another attempt of apologizing and asking her to give him another chance. How on earth did he know about Helena? 

“What about it?”

“You guys seem close… she was at your concert… your parents were talking to her…”

“We’re friends,” she said. 

“Right. Friends. The way you said I was your friend. So, you slept with her, is that it?” 

“Look Oliver--” Dinah felt anger in her veins, the fucking nerve of him! “Did you just snort coke in the bathroom, because you are way out of line.” 

“No, I get it,” he had a dangerous edge to his voice, “you’ve moved on. But be careful with her. She’s up to some shit.”

Dinah felt the tension coming off him and held her breath. She would not lose her temper at him for his lack of boundaries when there were witnesses who could gossip about it. He was just jealous. 

She counted to five and accepted the glass of water a waiter brought around. 

“You at her party on Friday? Our family has been invited. Even me with all my fuckups.” 

“Yes, I'll be there,” Dinah said with a bit of a bite to her tone, annoyed her would be there too. 

“Listen, I know I’ll see you at her birthday on Friday… but then there’s a final board meeting Saturday. Maybe we can talk before I go? Lunch? Coffee? I’m leaving town.”

Dinah didn’t reply, and Oliver just kept staring. 

After a moment she said, “maybe. I honestly don’t know what there’s left to talk about at this point though, Ollie.”

He nodded sadly but before he left, he cryptically said, “there will be.” 

Dinah secretly hoped he would get over her soon. His pity act was not cute or sympathetic, it was making her start to hate him. 

\--  
\--

Friday rolled around and Helena was tracking Robert Queen’s car GPS to the location she suspected. He was enroute now. 

She called home and told Tony she was going to be late for dinner, her grandmother had requested she be there by 7:00pm sharp and not a minute later. It was 6:30 now, and it was just reconnaissance. 

She rode her bike to the location and hid it behind a large crate. The tracker on Queen’s car showed him two minutes away, meaning she had beaten him here. She quickly put on a black ski mask and crept forward to where some car headlights pulled up. It was a cop car, meaning Erickson was here too. 

There were stacks of metal pipes and she crouched behind them. Robert Queen pulled up in his Bentley next to the cop car Erickson was leaning against. A third car pulled up to the location. 

Her blood boiled. This was the moment she would catch Stefano Galante red handed. She took out her burner phone and hit record, close enough to hear them. The car door opened and an expensive Italian shoe pressed into the warehouse pavement. 

When Uncle Junior stepped out, she felt her heart drop. 

Helena couldn’t believe it. 

Finding evidence on Stefano Galante had been impossible because there was nothing to find. Her dad had been investigating Galante on suspicion, but it was Stefano Galante Junior this whole time. 

“We need to smoke this FMP investor out,” Junior was livid as he slammed his car door shut, “fucking taking over shit!”

“What do you suggest we do?” Erickson said in his full police Captain regalia. 

“Find out who it is and get me some damn intel,” Junior spat, “what’s the point of having you on my payroll if you can’t even do your job?”

Erickson scoffed, “before you go blaming me, the money side of things is your problem! I expect you two to handle that shit and pay me. Queen can’t even manage his own wife stealing all his shit.”

“Fuck you Erickson,” Robert Queen threatened, “remember who you are talking to. We own your ass -- or have you forgotten your part in Bertinelli going down?”

And there it was. Evidence. The video Helena was filming them with was uploading to her secure cloud network as a backup at the same time, but her hand was trembling. 

The truth was revealed. These three had in fact colluded and that car bomb footage she watched everyday of her family burning alive was because of them. 

Her soul felt so much rage in that moment. Blinding rage she had never felt before. 

“If I go down you go down too,” Erickson yelled right back, “or have you forgotten that I have a contingency in case you deranged rich fucks ever tried to stab me in the back!”

“Alright enough!” Junior calmed them both down. “We have to keep a clear head, or we all lose. We need to set up a meeting with our mystery investor and find out who they are and take back what’s ours okay? Have I ever let you guys down?”

Helena was so focused on watching them that she forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. A gun clicked at the back of her head and she could feel cold metal press into her skull through the fabric of the ski mask. 

“Well well well, what do we have here.”

The phone in her hand was snatched away and Helena kept her hands up in surrender, cursing her stupidity for letting her guard down. 

“Boss, we found someone! Move or I’ll shoot you.”

She was shoved forward and forced to walk towards the gathering of Robert Queen, Junior Galante, and Captain Patrick Erickson. 

Fuck. 

With her face still covered, Helena knew she just needed to buy time and get out before she caught a bullet. 

“Who the fuck is this?” Erickson looked the most fearful when he realized someone had been watching them. 

“The fuck, is it Halloween?” Robert Queen scoffed at her all black stealthy attire. 

“Found this,” one of the goons stepped forward to hand over the burner phone. Shit. He had taken off her glove to unlock the screen. Her prints were on there. 

Helena used the moment they were distracted to look to her side. She was purely guessing but if only two guys caught her and there were the three fuckers in front of her, she just needed to disarm the two with guns and run. 

“A phone!” Junior grabbed it and tried to unlock it. “What’s the fucking password.” 

She stayed silent with her hands raised. 

Her silence pissed them off of course. 

“Beat the password out of them and take off their fucking mask,” Junior ordered. 

“You heard him boys,” Erickson gave the permission to his guys. Which meant they were two cops, dirty like him. 

The first cop that had passed the phone forward to Junior approached her. As he swung forward, aiming to knock the wind out of her stomach, Helena used his momentum to get into action and dodge it. She grabbed his arm and broke it over her raised knee before swinging around to kick the guy behind her in his balls and then turn to break his nose with her palm. 

Then she just fucking ran. 

She ran to her motorcycle, not stopping when a few distant gunshots tried to aim for her or when she could hear the angry yelling at her escape. 

She grabbed her helmet and put it on, not losing a second to take the mask off and revving so hard the front wheel went up as she zoomed back home. 

Helena revved her engine as fast as she could until she caught the highway, speeding home. 

Fucking fuck. Her phone. It had been purchased for one purpose and was untraceable, but it still had her fingerprints on it and if Captain Erickson was any kind of smart, he would have it checked for prints. More likely Junior would ask him to check it out. 

Fucking Junior. That backstabber had been behind it this whole time. This meant she had to move fast. 

The Bluetooth in her helmet was ringing and Helena took a deep calming breath, despite the crazy speed she was currently revving on the highway, before accepting the call. 

It was either her grandmother or--

“Helena! I’ve been calling where are you?”

“On my way home now, Nonna,” Helena said, “ten minutes away. Sorry I got carried away riding around.” 

“Okay,” her grandmother sounded relieved, “be careful. I hope you’re hungry. I made your favorite.”

Helena thanked her, knowing she was going to be going straight to her computer and nowhere else when she got home. She would fake sick. She had to be fast and send the video on her cloud out before they figured out who she was. 

In her rush she barely noticed the lights were out in the mansion and skidded her bike to a stop by the garage. With her mind on a mission she hadn’t paid attention to her surroundings and the second she entered the front door the lights came on and a loud collective yell of, 

“SURPRISE!” 

Fuck. 

“Happy twenty-sixth birthday, Helena!” her grandmother had a trolley with a cake and sparklers flying out of it. There must have been fifty people or more of close friends and business partners -- even children. Balloons, confetti, an accordion player...

“I’ve never seen you so shocked!” her grandfather was laughing and hugging her close. 

Helena forced a smile to her face and hugged him back. 

She was hugged by her grandparents and let everyone clap and sing the happy birthday song, cheering as she was fed some cake and kissed on the cheek by her doting and proud grandparents. 

She was waiting for the opportunity to sneak away from her grandparents’ clutches without looking suspicious, her heart still racing from the events of the warehouse. 

“Hey, happy birthday,” a very soothing voice stirred her from her concerns, and she turned to see Dinah Lance rocking a very intricate and very revealing dress. 

“Dinah,” she exhaled a breath of small relief for the first time since she got there. Something about Dinah’s smile had that effect. Just seeing her caused something in Helena to relax. 

“You never said it was your birthday,” Dinah raised a small gift-wrapped box. “This is for you. Was surprised your grandmother invited me herself. Does she know about us? Because she implied I should bring flowers.”

In that moment Helena knew -- she just knew in her heart that she had one person she could trust with this. 

“I forgot it was my birthday,” she whispered in urgent confidence. 

“You forgot your own birthday?” Dinah snorted at her but then seemed to pick up on the panic in her eyes and the strain in her voice. “Helena what’s wrong?”

How could she possibly explain this?

“Come with me,” Helena whispered, taking Dinah by the hand, heading for her bedroom. 

“Helena, where are you going?” Her grandmother looked down at their joined hands and looked backed up at them with an almost exasperated, “can’t you wait until after the party is over?”

Despite the urgency of the situation, Helena felt her whole body flush from head to toe. 

“We weren’t--”

“Helena wants to change for the party,” Dinah smoothly cut in, “and I promise only one kiss. Maybe two depending on her outfit.”

Helena squeaked, how could Dinah joke like that with her fucking grandmother?

“Be quick. Go, shoo! Helena I had that gorgeous maroon suit ironed and hung by the door, that will look nice...” Rosa smiled before pointing her finger at Dinah, “I like you Dinah.”

Dinah looked very pleased with the compliment before turning to realize Helena looked unimpressed.

“What?” Dinah defended, “I need to stay on her good side. She invited me over for dinner again.”

“Just… come on,” Helena urged her up the steps by the hand, not caring who at the party saw them. Not noticing the charged look Dinah shared with Oliver Queen who had his arm around his own date for the night, his eyes glued to the hand Dinah was holding. 

Unapologetically, Dinah gave him a nod and followed Helena up the stairs. She was glad to see he had moved on too, for his sake. Unaware that he dropped his arm from his date and tipped the champagne back, eyes glaring at Helena. 

They got to Helena’s bedroom and Dinah looked around as Helena closed the door and rushed to her laptop. 

“So, what’s going on.”

“I fucked up,” Helena said. 

“How exactly did you fuck up?” Dinah placed her gift box on Helena's desk and leaned over her shoulder to check out the screen Helena was clicking through with desperation. 

“Listen,” Helena found the cloud and the video file she recorded updated onto it. “To this.” 

Dinah mumbled okay and watched the clip, confusion on her face morphing to shock until the conversation became clear. When the video ended, she gripped Helena’s shoulder. 

“They killed your family?”

“Yes,” Helena said back, “and this is where I just came from and I need to get this video out as soon as possible. They had my phone there before I got away, I was reckless. It's a burner but it’s only a matter of time before they piece everything together. My fingerprints, the fact that it’s connected to a cloud.”

“Helena,” Dinah said. 

“And this fucking surprise party--”

“Helena.” 

“And I barely missed getting shot in the head!”

“Helena!” Dinah grabbed her by the cheeks. “Here is what I say, okay? You send your video… but we also contact my Aunt in the police department too, okay? She works in internal affairs there. Then you change your clothes, and we go downstairs and participate in the party. And then we wait. Okay?”

Helena took a deep breath and nodded. Logic. Right. Stop panicking and use logic. 

“He was my dad’s best friend, Dinah. I suspected his dad… I never suspected him,” at this a wound of pain she had ignored opened up and tears started to brim her eyes.

“Oh…” Dinah pulled Helena into a close hug. “Hey, I’m here.”

Helena closed her eyes to allow the tears to stop and found herself squeezing Dinah close to her. With her shoulders bare, Dinah could feel the wet tears on her skin and tightly hugged her back. 

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Helena sniffled, backing out of the hug to give Dinah her honest appreciation. “I trust you and I… I want to be someone you can trust too.”

Dinah’s hands were on her cheeks now, a soft smile on her face as her thumbs wiped under Helena’s eyes. 

“I do trust you, Helena…”

“When this is over,” Helena took in a deep breath, “there’s something I have to tell you. And you may not feel the same way.”

Dinah leaned forward and touched their foreheads together, “Helena… I think I’m… no, I know that my feelings for you are something I have never felt for anyone in my life. I got your back today and I will have it tomorrow too ok?”

Helena nodded, allowing herself the blissful moment of Dinah’s affection. 

“Now,” Dinah stood up. “Let me call my Aunt and you do whatever it is you were going to do and… as for this gift I got for you, you can open it tomorrow when all this bullshit is over.” 

“Okay,” Helena agreed. 

\--

Helena held tightly onto Dinah’s hand an hour later, greeting guests as they left the mansion. She was in the dark maroon suit her grandmother had left out, wearing it with a black turtleneck and her practiced, polite smile. 

“You both make a gorgeous couple,” Martha Wayne kissed Helena’s cheek. “Happy birthday.” 

Dinah thanked her and they waved her off. People had enjoyed the party and Helena was anxious for it to be over. 

“Helena,” Dinah whispered in her ear, “my aunt’s calling me back. I’ll go answer and be right back, okay?”

Helena nodded and watched as Dinah left her side towards the kitchen for privacy. 

“Hey!”

The voice sent a chill down Helena’s spine. Guests had all left but Robert Queen and Junior Galante had just arrived. 

“There she is, birthday girl!” Junior tugged her into a hug and laughed, “happy birthday, Helena! Your father would be so proud, I tell ya.”

Helene fought down the rage at seeing him and tried her best to smile. Looks like he didn’t know who she was yet. 

Thankfully he had moved on to hugging her grandfather and Robert Queen just gave her a stiff greeting. 

She could tell he was distracted, not as good a poker face as Junior. Junior was clearly the mastermind. 

“Ya missed the party Junior,” Alfredo chastised him. 

“Sorry about that Uncle Alf,” Junior apologized, “something urgent came up. Where’s my pop? He told me and Robert to drop by. Said it was of utmost importance.” 

“Here, here” Stefano Galante came out with a cigar in his hand and Oliver Queen by his side. “Oliver said why wait until the board meeting tomorrow when all the board members are here. I agree.”

“Pop, I got something important to deal with tonight, no board meeting,” Junior said, his tone suddenly very serious. 

“This can wait, Oliver,” Robert said, exasperated at his son’s attempt. 

“Yes, let’s call it a night,” Rosa requested, “it’s getting late.”

Dinah walked back from the kitchen at that moment, looking confused as she walked back to Helena’s side. 

There was something poetic in the timing that Helena wishes she had seen coming. 

The foyer of her family home. Her twenty-sixth birthday party… herself, Dinah, Oliver, Alfredo, Rosa, Stefano, Junior, Robert, and her butler Tony by the door. 

“Let’s have some more champagne and hear the boy out, I say. We’re all family only now.” Alfredo offered. 

If it wasn’t so tragic, she would have laughed at the irony. 

“Trust me dad this can’t wait.” Oliver took center stage. 

“Fine, out with it,” Robert said, exasperated. 

“I know who is behind FMP,” he said with pride.

At his words, Junior, Robert, Alfredo, and Stefano all raised their faces. Their attention was now caught. 

“Who?” Junior was the one who asked. 

Oliver spun around and dramatically pointed his finger at Helena in accusation. “Helena Bertinelli.” 

Honestly, she had underestimated Oliver Queen. 

\--

Alfredo was the first to react, a disbelieving cackle. 

“Helena would never, boy. You’re off your rocker.” 

“No?” Oliver walked forward, like a TV lawyer making his opening remarks before a jury. “Why is it then that Helena is the one who entrapped me with a prostitute, and had it sent to every newspaper in town? Right before suggesting me and Dinah use our engagement party to help the Wayne foundation? The Wayne foundation says yes, I get caught with my pants down, our stock price drops and the Wayne’s sell to FMP… that oil spill footage you covered up is leaked, our stock drops more, and FMP is there to buy us all out. And then with the Bertinelli shares Helena has stock, control, and power.”

Helena stayed quiet. 

“Bravo,” Oliver sarcastically clapped, “you played us all.” 

“Helena,” Alfredo looked at her, “tell him that’s not true.” 

Helena looked at her grandfather and opened her mouth, but she could not lie. Stefano Galante placed a comforting hand on his best friend’s shoulder, stepping behind him. 

“No,” Alfredo looked absolutely crushed, “no. Tell me you didn’t.” 

“It’s true!” Oliver announced to his audience, “I found the girl you paid off to seduce me. Nicole Brown? One hundred thousand you paid her for that picture. I paid her for the truth, and she told me everything.”

Silence took the room. 

“Why would you do that!” Her grandfather yelled, rage hot in his voice. 

“Helena,” her grandmother said, utter disappointment in her voice. 

“I’ll tell you why, she did it to take Dinah from me,” Oliver accused. “To steal her from me. She’s been all over her, ever since! Can’t you see, Dinah?”

Dinah was behind her and Helena did not dare to turn around. 

Helena looked back, her heart breaking when she saw her grandfather’s tears in his eyes. “Why would you do that, Helena?”

Helena stayed quiet. 

“Why, Helena, would you ruin a family like that? Is it true, did you do it to have her?”

Helena swallowed, not sure what to say. 

“Your grandfather is talking to you!” Stefano Galante demanded Helena, also yelling. 

Oliver looked over Helena’s shoulder to Dinah, “I told you she’s up to some shit.” 

Helena finally mustered the strength to look back at Dinah, an apology in her eyes. 

Dinah’s face was unreadable. After a tense moment she simply said, “my Aunt’s on the way to pick me up.” 

It was her coded message of letting Helena know she had told her Aunt everything.  
“You fucking ruined my reputation, my wealth! All over a fucking girl?” Robert Queen yelled at her, “What were you thinking?”

That was the moment Helena broke her silence. 

“Because you took everything from me. So, I took everything from you.” 

“What are you talking--” Robert froze when he realized what Helena was talking about. 

“What I don't get is why,” Helena felt her voice rise as the anger boiled. “Why you would resort to killing him, killing my mom. My little brother.” 

The gasps in the room were almost comical. 

“Yes Oliver, I did everything you just accused me of. But you want to know why? Not to steal Dinah, but to destroy your father! Destroy Captain Erickson… and destroy Stefano Galante Junior for murdering my family!” 

The silence was loud, and Oliver’s face had dropped at the dramatic change of events. Helena turned her hateful gaze on Robert Queen and Junior. 

“I have all the evidence I need… so don’t even bother denying it.” 

“You killed Franco, Robert?” Alfredo whispered. “You killed my son!”

Caught up in the moment Alfredo lunged forward to grab him by the lapels of his jacket. “You killed them!”

“It was Junior’s idea,” Robert begged, “it was all Junior.”

The tension in the room was so strong as no one moved. Helena saw the trapped look in Junior's eyes and saw the moment he decided to cut and run. 

He bolted for the door. 

She ran right after him, ignoring her grandmother’s yells for her to stop. 

Before he could reach the door, Tony stepped in his way to block him. That gave Helena the seconds she needed to tackle him down and uncontrollably let loose the anger she had harbored inside all these years from her loss. 

“You!” Punch. “Killed!” Punch. “Them!” Punch. 

There were arms trying to pull her off, Tony, but she pushed him aside to keep hitting Junior Galante as the rage oozed from her heart to her fists. 

“My--” Punch. “Mom!” Punch. “Pino!” Punch. 

More tugging away which she pushed off, “burning in the street!” Punch. 

Now she was strangling him, “My father! You were his best friend! How could you!” 

“Helena get off him,” Dinah tugged her back from the neck and pulled her away almost gently, “you’re going to kill him!” 

Junior started laughing, like a maniac. And Helena relinquished his throat, letting Tony and Dinah pull her off him. 

He sat up and coughed the blood from his mouth, a tooth hitting the floor as he laughed. 

“I am your father, Helena.”


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please be warned!!! This chapter may be a trigger for some people as there is mention of rape (see end notes for the summary).

“This is some A-Grade Mafia fuckery right here,” Renee Montoya commented to the forensic guy Al, watching Stefano Galante Junior, or Junior as he was commonly known, being handcuffed after paramedics had attended to his injuries. 

“He’s going to be sipping from a straw in prison,” Al smirked back before resuming his photography of the scene. 

Renee turned her attention at her niece, Dinah Lance, who until an hour ago had never called her in her life. That was largely because her step-sister, Dinah Drake, had still not talked to Renee in over two decades.

It was complicated. 

“You okay kid?” She put a hand gently on Dinah’s shoulder, not quite sure if Dinah knew what exactly she was getting herself into here. 

“I don’t know what the fuck I am,” Dinah said honestly. 

Dinah’s eyes looked confused, and Renee followed her gaze to the stairs of the Bertinelli mansion. The infamous name of the evening, Miss Helena Bertinelli herself, was sitting at the base of the stairs with her head in her hands as the police took statements around them. To her left, the best defense lawyer in Gotham, Ellen Yee, had shown up for Helena and kept the cops at bay. 

“Girls, am I right?” Renee offered in sympathy. She was a cop, she could read that look in Dinah's eyes. 

Dinah turned to her and smiled sadly, “you have no idea.”

Oh so her niece was in love. Renee felt the romantic buried deep in her cold heart sigh as she nudged Dinah. 

“Go talk to her,” Renee allowed. 

Dinah took a step forward but hesitated, and Renee raised an eyebrow when she changed course from Helena to walk over to Alfredo and Rosa Bertinelli instead. Rosa was sobbing into her husband's shoulder as he soothed her arm, tears in his eyes too. 

Reneee had seen a whole lot of shit in her time as a cop, but nothing quite like this. Her bitter heart actually felt for that old couple -- and she hated rich people on principle, her step-sister included. This was some really special kind of fucked up. 

She watched as her niece placed a hand on Rosa’s shoulder and crouched down, whispering something to which the old lady nodded. 

Huh. It was interesting to see Dinah Drake’s daughter actually had a heart -- Drake herself was quite heartless. 

An hour ago when Renee had arrived on the scene, she had called in backup right away. Shit had been crazy. 

The Bertinelli butler Tony was holding Robert Queen hostage at gunpoint with a fucking shotgun he pulled from a hidden panel by the coats, Helena Bertinelli had apparently beaten the absolute shit out of Junior Galante’s face and tried to strangle him for allegedly killing her family, Oliver Queen admitted he had snorted a lot of coke and rambled about stock markets and some kind of opera-style confrontation, Stefano Galante had fainted from the stress of discovering his son allegedly murdered his best friend’s son and lay in the back of an ambualnce currently enroute to Gothem General, and Rosa and Alfredo Bertielli were heartbroken and trying to make sense of their world. 

The only person calm enough to talk had been Dinah who gave the first statement, and as the dust was settling from the crazy drama and the legalities came into the picture, shit got real. 

It didn’t take long before the first news van arrived on the property, filming Junior Galante with his bloodied white tuxedo jacket and busted face being shoved into the back of a cop car. 

“Chief Montoya.” Ellen Yee approached her in her power suit and briefcase, pushing her glasses up her nose. “My client has been cooperative with you searching her personal effects, she’s relinquished her laptop, she has given the location of the warehouse Queen, Erickson, and Galante met at earlier this evening and the exact time.”

“Your point, Yee?” Renee rolled her eyes at the insufferable lawyer she had the pleasure of running into often. Yee always got flustered around her, and Renee privately enjoyed it. But too many relationships had ended badly in her life so she never called Yee out on her crush. 

“Are you charging my client or not? She has been in a lot of distress lately.” Yee blushed and cleared her throat. 

“Look, unless Junior presses charges or we find any illegal evidence in her effects, she is free. But this is going to be a shitshow. I suggest we move downtown to headquarters. Bring your client so we can test her clothes and corroborate her story.” 

“Fine.” Yee was off, all business once again. 

“Chief,” one of the cops that had arrived and arrested Robert Queen approached her. “Erickson was picked up at his house. He’s been arrested.” 

“About time we had evidence on that fucker” Montoya had been trying to find something that proved Erickson was a dirty cop for years. Nothing ever stuck. “Great job officer. Let’s wrap up here before more news vans come.”

\--

Oliver had no idea who tipped off the press but a mere two hours after he had accused Helena Bertinelli of her girlfriend-stealing-stock-market-treachery, he found himself downtown in Gotham Police Department headquarters, stuck in a waiting room with his ex-fiancee and other witnesses of the evening’s events. He had an ice pack to the side of his head where a police officer had ‘accidentally’ pistol-whipped him. He thinks the officer was a woman he had hit on before, she looked pretty familiar. 

“Can I get a coffee?” He asked the deputy watching them by the door.

The deputy just blew a bubble from his gum and ignored him. 

“Ollie,” Dinah spoke to him, a warning in her eyes as she gestured to the other side of the room. “Have some respect for the situation.”

He raised his eyebrow at her gesture to where Alfredo and Rosa Bertinielli were sitting in solemn silence. A few of their lawyers whispering nearby. 

“Situation? This situation? Hey, apparently my father is involved in a murder conspiracy, okay?” He said to Dinah. “And I suppose it takes that for you to acknowledge I exist.” 

“Oliver.” Dinah leaned forward and hissed at him, “your dad was involved in a murder conspiracy but their son, daughter-in-law, and grandson were the ones murdered. Maybe just shut up?”

Oliver huffed and drawled out, “fine forget the coffee, deputy.” 

Some shuffling by the door before it was opened by the deputy revealed a very distressed Helena, accompanied by her attorney Ellen Yee and two of Ellen’s trainees. Helena had a look on her face like she’d seen a ghost. She was pale, her knuckles still had the dry blood of Junior Galante, and her eyes were glazed over as if she was not quite present. 

“Sit and don’t talk to anyone. Not even your grandparents,” Ellen instructed her, walking her to a chair away from everyone. Helena sat quietly in the corner without even looking at her grandparents who watched her in trepidation and fear. 

“Please, what’s going on?” Alfredo asked Ellen, desperation in his eyes. His lawyers moved forward as well. 

“Chief Montoya will be here shortly, sorry, that’s all I can tell you Mr. and Mrs. Bertinelli. Rest assured Helena will be okay.” Ellen hesitated, looking at her emotionless client before leaving the room. 

When she left, all the lawyers followed her out. The deputy by the door closed it and stood outside, leaving them all in privacy. 

Left alone, the weight of the evening seemed to suddenly press on everyone. All eyes were on Helena who was currently slouched over her knees. She made movement, her palms covering and pressing against her eyes to cover her face as she hung her head. 

Dinah decided to get up and go sit down next to Helena, making her presence known by gently placing a hand on a knee. Helena tensed, and lifted up her face from her hands to look at who was there. She was clearly surprised that Dinah was touching her. 

“I’m here,” Dinah said softly, not really knowing what else she could say. She squeezed her hand on Helena’s knee for reassurance. 

To her surprise tears started to well up in Helena’s shocked eyes. This caused her to press her palms into her eyeballs harder as if that would stop them. 

It worked for a small moment before a sob escaped her body. It went through her whole body and broke the deafening silence of the room. 

Hearing the pained sound ripped Dinah’s heart in two. She ended up placing a hand on Helena’s back to gently rub there as Helena sobbed again. It was clear she was trying to choke back her pain, Dinah could feel the strain of her trying to hold back from breaking. It was heartbreaking. 

Footsteps appeared by their side and Dinah paused her attempt of consoling when she looked up and found Alfredo and Rosa standing in front of their granddaughter with tears overflowing their eyes. 

“Helena,” Rosa said gently in Sicilian, “it’s alright, Helena…”

Helena had frozen again and then she dropped her hands from her tearful eyes to look up at the faces of her grandparents before all the pain just flowed -- not in fists on Junior Galante’s face this time, but tears on her maroon suit and bruised knuckles caked in blood. 

Her grandfather started weeping with her as he moved forward, falling to his knees to hold her face in understanding, and Rosa curled in to stroke her hair, her other hand rubbing her husband’s back as she successfully kept her tears inside her eyes for her husband and granddaughter. 

Dinah saw movement in the corner of her eye which was Oliver leaving the room in a rush. She hesitated to follow, but realizing Helena was okay with her grandparents she quietly got up and followed him to the hallway where she found him throwing up in a garbage can. 

“Hey,” she reached over to see if he was okay, but he jerked away from her touch on his shoulder and scowled. 

“What do you want?”

The sound of his voice shocked her as his own eyes welled with tears. His cheeks were flushed in anger. 

“What do you want, huh Dinah?”

“Just seeing if you’re okay--”

“Why wouldn't I be okay? Tell me something... how does she break us up the way she did, beat up Junior like that, and still get you? Huh? And I’m the fuckup. I get nothing. Queen Industries is in the toilet, you don’t love me anymore, and even when she’s not their blood they still adore her, huh? HUH!”

He punched the wall and some deputies came and wrestled him into the wall from his angry outburst, taking him aside to cool off in the tank. 

Dinah sighed at his words-- she would deal with Oliver and his meltdown, breakdown, spiral, whatever later. 

“Hey,” her Aunt was walking over to her now, eyebrows raised at Oliver’s retreating back. “You sure know how to pick ‘em. BIllionaires with scandals that like to hit things.”

“Ha ha,” Dinah said with no humour to her voice, “so?”

“DNA test proves it,” Montoya shrugged. “Your girlfriend is only a Bertinelli in name. Blood is Galante. And it gets crazier.” 

“How is that even possible?” Dinah wondered. 

“Junior Galante’s DNA is positive on some unsolved rape cases. Rapes that Captain Patrick Erickson was the investigating officer for.” 

“Oh. I guess that’s how.” 

“Yeah… I’m going to go update the family. Just waiting for their gaggle of lawyers to finish their bathroom break.”

Dinah sighed, “probably best to give them a minute as a family anyways.” 

\--  
\--

Helena hesitated before walking into the private hospital room. By the window, she saw Stefano Galante not move from his position. She gently closed the door behind her and cleared her throat. 

He didn’t turn.

“Mr. Galante,” she said softly, “I was hoping we could talk?”

At the sound of her voice he startled, “oh… it’s you.” 

He watched her and exhaled as she stepped closer. 

“I thought it was the nurse.” 

“Right… how are you?”

“... I don’t know how to answer that. My son… Junior he… he killed Alfredo’s son. He… why did he do that?”

She had no answer for him and they stayed in silence for a few seconds that felt like an hour. 

Helena sat down in the chair next to him and sighed. “They tested my blood.”

“I see.” 

“I… share your family DNA.”

Stefano’s eyes widened at her, “you are my granddaughter.” 

“I am. Blood related.” 

“My God… so Junior and Maria?”

Helena took in a deep breath to tell him, “that’s why the police believe he murdered Franco.”

“Not for money, but for love?”

“Yes,” Helena lied to him. 

How could she tell this man her theory that Junior had raped her mother? That Helena herself was likely a baby born from such brutal action. That when her mother had started to suspect… Junior retaliated in such a brutal way to punish her? Deranged in his idea that Franco had everything and he had nothing. 

“Please. Forgive me.” Stefano started to weep, “oh, forgive me.”

Helena wasn’t sure if he was talking to her or to God, but she sat with him as he cried. 

The next morning when the nurse went to wake him, he had stopped breathing overnight from overdosing on his medicine. An hour before he committed suicide he had many only one call, to his lawyer. To change his last will and testament and bequeath his entire wealth to Helena Bertinelli, his granddaughter. He wrote a suicide letter apologizing to his best friends Alfredo and Rosa, thanking them for their friendship and leaving Helena in their loving family. 

\--  
\--

Dinah watched the news on her TV, the Galante-Bertinelli scandal was on every news station. It was a never ending cycle. 

Not only had Junior Galante been charged with insider trading, racketeering, murder, conpsiracy -- all these crazy ass charges, but now he and Erickson were being publicy hung with the whispers of rape case connections and cover-ups. The national news was running a special tonight on the case and advertising it every friggin minute. 

Dinah’s mind kept going to Helena. Saying she was concerned was an understatement. Helena had actually left the fucking country to get away from the press, especially after Stefano Galante was found dead from his overdose on painkillers and a suicide note released publicy by his nurse for some quick cash. 

His will had been altered to pass on all his wealth to her, and the only reason Dinah knew Helena was out of the country was because Rosa Bertinelli had spared her a call to say ‘thank you for your help Dinah. We will be going to Italy for some time, to get away from the media.’  
It hurt that Helena had not spoken to her since and skipped town without even a text message, but Dinah was more worried about her than anything else. 

Work never stopped and Dinah still had an album she needed to work on, but she was sad and distracted. Was Helena going to come back? 

A knock interrupted her thoughts and Dinah frowned. She was not expecting anybody this evening. 

She opened the door and was surprised to see Helena herself. Here in Gotham and not in Sicily. 

“Helena? Oh My God!” 

She stepped forward instantly and hugged the taller woman on protective instinct, so relieved to see her. Helena hugged her back tightly, so tightly Dinah could feel how much Helena needed her touch.

“Hey… I’m here,” Dinah said letting herself be held, “I’ve been so worried about you!” 

Helena pulled back from her, eyes open and vulnerable to 1000 different emotions, so much turmoil in there which Dinah could see she was unable to iterate. 

“You don’t have to say anything,” Dinah promised her, “come in.” 

She reached up and brushed some of Helena’s matted hair from her face and gently tugged her inside. 

“I took the private jet back,” Helena finally said, “on impulse. No one knows I’m here yet.” 

“You’re freezing,” Dinah said gently, “how about some tea?”

“No Dinah,” Helena was grabbing her wrist to stop her from leaving her sight. “I want to talk… we need to talk.” 

“Yeah,” Dinah conceded, “we do... but... I understand this is an impossible situation.”

Helena looked down at Dinah’s feet before looking back up, finding the strength to speak what she needed to from the compassion she saw in Dinah’s gaze. 

“I just want you to know -- I need you to know -- that I was blinded with revenge. I didn’t think about what the fallout for you would be when I leaked that stuff about Oliver to the press. I had no regret for doing it, but now… now I find myself so ashamed for pulling you into this.” 

Dinah has had a lot of time to think things over and clenched her hands into fists. Anger bubbling to the surface. 

“We were not friends then, Helena, and he cheated, okay? I have absolutely no anger about that nor do I care.” Dinah stepped into her space and watched as Helena took a step back, her hips stopping as they met the cold marble of her kitchen island. “You could have told me you were going to Italy -- I’ve been worried sick!”

“Dinah…”

“I’m not so righteous, you know? I get it. I do.” She reached up to cup Helena’s cheeks which were cold from the night air, “his dad was in a conspiracy that killed your family. If someone did that to my family...”

Helena closed her eyes and painfully whispered, “but we are friends now. And I was dishonest. I’m sorry for bringing you into the mess of my life.”

“Oh Helena,” Dinah softly whispered.

In lieu of saying anything else, she pressed a gentle kiss to Helena’s cold lips. Helena felt the warmth against her lips touch her heart, eyes closing at the affection Dinah offered. Helena felt her eyes brimming with tears. In her whole life, no one had ever had this effect on her. It was indescribable. 

“We are so much more than friends… All I could think about was how you’re doing. I care about you -- okay?” 

Dinah said it to explain herself, to help Helena understand that she didn’t care about the scandals and the vigilante vengeance shit she pulled -- she cared about Helena. 

“Oliver cheated on me and I was never happy with him… you came here with your own vengeance. I know I was not part of your plan and falling for you was not part of mine but can’t we just… can’t we just be together? I will wait for you because I get that now is not the right time --”

Her plea was cut short as Helena kissed her, desperately tugging Dinah’s body into her by the waist. The kiss was full of a longing, deep and purposeful. 

When her lips were freed from Helena’s needy kiss, their eyes met and the varying emotions she had seen in Helena’s eyes minutes before had finally settled on just one. Dinah didn’t need her to say it, she knew in that moment how Helena truly felt about her. 

Her lips were once again captured and an automatic moan escaped her throat. She thread her fingers into Helena’s hair, dragging her in by the neck, down and closer. Helena’s hands found purchase on her body, one low on her back in a pressure that was not enough and the other between her shoulder blades to press Dinah's chest up into her own. 

Dinah was consumed with the body touching her own. They couldn’t stop kissing, quick inhales of air between every rush pressure and every caress and groan. 

Never in her life had Dinah felt this way about someone, anyone. She pressed closer still, not feeling close enough. The kisses became furious, her arms secure around Helena’s neck to keep her lips there. 

Helena moaned into her, now free of whatever doubt she clearly had before she arrived. 

Dinah felt two very sure hands grip on her hip before she was turned and abruptly lifted up. Set on her kitchen island, no words were exchanged -- Dinah didn’t want Helena’s lips to part from hers and she tugged that taut waist in by her own strong legs to keep them attached.

This kind of ferocious need to have someone touch her was foreign and animalistic -- Dinah let another desperate groan escape her throat and to her delight, Helena moaned back -- some variable of her name. Helena’s hands left their movement on her hips, but the disappointment of their loss was forgotten as some fumbling led to the drop of a wool coat. 

Garments were being removed which sent even more heat up Dinah’s body, memories of what it felt like to touch skin to skin. Dinah dropped her hands from dark hair to start heping Helena free her burning body of the collared shirt as Helena reached blindly to tug at her top and lift it off. 

Their shirts tossed carelessly aside, Dinah helped Helena’s fingers remove her sweatpants and underwear next until she was naked on her kitchen island. She gasped when a firm hand pressed her by the sternum to lay down and the tragic loss of Helena’s lips on her mouth was replaced with the warmth of her tongue to an embarrassingly wet centre. 

The moan Dinah released this time was more guttural, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. Helena stroked her tongue to lap at all the wetness she had caused and Dinah was powerless to do anything but grip the head of hair between her thighs and buck up into the fastest climax of her life which spasmed through every nerve of her body as she let out a scream. 

The urgency Helena had kissed her with disappeared as much gentler, softer kisses fluttered along her thighs and hip bone. 

Catching a few breaths, Dinah looked down as she saw Helena observing her with unrestrained lust, lips and chin slick. She pushed herself up, once again wrapping her naked legs around Helena’s lithe waist and nuzzling her nose in thanks before kissing the mouth that had just devoured her. She could taste herself and she blushed at how the absolute filth of it all turned her on, desperate for more. 

Helena kissed her back, meeting her deep and slow pace, a smile on her lips as they parted. 

“You’re so beautiful,” Dinah told her, enamored as she reached up to fix the hair she had knotted up during their making out and… other activity. 

Helena’s smile grew more at her attention and then her dark brown eyes turned shyly down. 

Dinah giggled and coyly teased a finger down the skin of Helena’s collarbone -- following it until it met the strap of her bra. She playfully snapped it. 

“Let’s shower, hmm?” Dinah leveraged her weight with Helena’s body to jump down from the kitchen island. While maintaining eye contact she reached for the button and zip on Helena’s tight jeans. With swift movements her hands could go under the waistband to curve around some very well defined glutes. Helena raised her eyebrow playfully -- a side of her Dinah was happy to see. 

“Are you sure?” Helena asked, watching Dinah’s hands greedily move to the front of her zipper next. 

“Am I sure? Did I not make that clear just now?”

Helena’s breath hitched when Dinah’s fingers gently teased her belly button, the muscles tensing from her warm palm and the promise of what they were going to do. 

“I mean,” Helena stuttered, “I mean are you sure about me? Being my… my partner? Your career, my scandal... “

“Oh,” Dinah paused, surprised. “Seriously? I thought I made that clear? When I said what I said.”

Helena’s eyes were pained once again and Dinah was in love with this frustratingly-emotionally-stunted woman. 

“Tell me what you mean, Helena please. I want us to be together.” 

Helena nodded at that, clearly nervous as she reached down to hold Dinah’s hands between her own. 

“I mean,” she murmured gently, searching in Dinah’s eyes, “I’ve never been in love. I’ve never had someone love me this way either… I want you, this. Us. I want… but I question if it’s what you deserve in your life. If I can be what you need or if I’m worth it.” 

“You are exactly what I need,” Dinah wanted her to understand. “When I’m with you I feel powerful. I feel alive, and happy. Do I make you feel the same way?” 

“You do,” Helena agreed, “I have never been so happy.” 

“Then stop overthinking it. I have your back and you have mine? Okay?”

“Okay,” Helena melted into the kiss Dinah gave her. 

“Come on, let’s go shower… let me take care of you.”

\--

Lying in her bed with Helena was nice. They showered in comfortable silence and dried off before cuddling under her bedsheets. Here, with her ear listening to Helena’s steady heartbeat, Dinah’s mind had created rhythm and lyrics to match it -- a muse for her art. 

“He raped my mom, Dinah,” Helena said after a long time. “I am a product of rape.” 

Dinah wouldn’t pretend to understand how that must feel, knowing that. She stayed silent, opting to kiss gently above Helena’s breast and hold her tighter. 

“I have so many questions. So much rage…” Helena whispered. “My whole life has been a lie. My grandparents can’t even look at me. All they see is suffering.”

“Has he confessed?” Dinah asked her, tipping her head up to look Helena in the eyes. She reached up with her body to kiss a forehead -- wanting to protect Helena from pain. 

“No but… the DNA evidence… the investigation. It’s uncovered a lot. His confession would just be the same as someone walking into the pouring rain and saying it’s raining.”

Dinah kissed her temple again and then cuddled back into Helena’s arms. “You’re nothing like him.”

Helena hugged her tightly. 

“You’re not, Helena. You’re nothing like him. He’s a liar, a cheater...a rapist… a killer.”

“I almost killed him.”

“He would have deserved it,” Dinah said, surprising herself with the ferocity in her voice. “Your real family is never just the blood you share, you know? Your real family are the people that stand by your side when shit goes south.”

Helena hummed, quietly, pulling Dinah closer to her again. 

“Look at me,” Dinah continued, “while my life is not the same kind of fucked up as yours at the moment--”

Helena snorted a laugh and it made Dinah smile. 

“-- I’ve seen enough sides of people. My mom and my Aunt Renee aren’t related by blood and they don’t talk, but when I needed her to show up she showed up. No questions asked. When shit with Oliver went down, a lot of my blood cousins on my dad’s side? Not one of them asked me what happened. They just gossip. Same thing is going to happen with you, baby. This trial… your grandparents… things are going to be really hard going forward but you are strong and I am right there with you. For the thousandth fucking time.”

Helena felt a lot of strength stir inside her from Dinah’s words and sighed, leaning down to kiss Dinah’s lips. Her own were still quite tender from all the making out they did and she kept it soft and hoped Dinah felt her appreciation. 

“Sorry I ran off… when I’m with you,” Helena whispered gently, “I feel as if life makes sense. I feel like I was meant to be here, with you. You understand me and I… am so lucky.”

“I feel the same,” Dinah expressed in an emotional whisper before kissing Helena back again. 

Paparazzi be damned… she was going to hold Helena’s hand every step of the way in this trial. 

\--

“So you and Helena Bertinelli, huh?” Harley cut right to the chase as Dinah went to the recording studio the next morning. 

Helena was currently still in her bed in her apartment, and separating from her had been torturous. There was just something about he bedhead and sleepy ‘have a nice day’ that made Dinah want to jump back in bed. 

“What have you heard?” Dinah asked, hoping no one was camped outside her apartment. 

“So it’s true!” Harley cackled, “well, just all the song notes you emailed me. Sounds like you have the muse of love.” 

Dinah flushed. 

“But lots of journalists have been calling the label for a statement. There’s photos of you the night Galante was arrested.”

Dinah glanced at the newspaper Harley offered her and sighed at the shot. 

It was from that night, a delayed release from the few news vans that came to the scene in time to catch Junior Galante being manhandled into a police car with handcuffs. While Dinah had not stepped outside of the mansion then, instead tending to Helena’s grandparents inside before they had all been shuffled to the police station...

Someone had taken a picture of her Jaguar and connected the license plate to another one of her buying a smoothie. That and some probing of people saying they were clearly a couple at the party, that Helena had been backstage for her opening concert, and that Helena picked up sushi for her apartment. 

Usually journalists were all circumstantial evidence but Dinah had to concede this person was right on the mark with their sources. It was creepy. 

“We’re getting very close,” is all Dinah said to her producer. “She’s different.” 

“Whatever she is, keep writing songs. I knew my fortune teller was right about this being a good money making year!”

\--

Patrick Erickson and Robert Queen flipped on Junior Galante for lighter sentences, and with new evidence and insight, Oliver Queen was stuck with a total shit show for Queen Industries. 

Which is exactly why he found himself drunk and high out of his mind, pounding on Dinah’s apartment door. 

He didn’t know how long it took, but the door opened and it was not Dinah who answered. 

“Ha.” He laughed humorlessly, of course it would be Bertinelli. “You live here now?”

Helena crossed her arms, observing him with a stoic look of pity. The pity made him angry and he turned to leave, stumbling and tripping to fall flat on his face. 

“Oof. Fuck.”

“You’re drunk,” Helena lifted him up and he struggled a little before swaying again. 

“You are wrong,” he giggled like a child, “I forgot what drugs I took too.” 

His world turned upside down, and if he was sober maybe he would be embarrassed to be in a fireman’s carry. Helena dumped him not-so-gently on a sofa and went back to close the door, watching him carefully. He passed out as his body’s exhaustion caught up with him and when he woke up daylight had turned to night time outside. 

There was water on his right and some hushed whispering that he tuned his ears to. 

He wondered if he was still drunk until he realised the whispers were in another language entirely. He blinked his eyes open to find Helena in the kitchen on her phone, buttering some bread with her hands while the phone was cradled in her neck. 

With groan he sat up, taking the water and losing it down his throat before getting up. Helena hung up the phone and gave him a nod, passing a plate over as he approached. 

“Is that--”

“Sandwich.”

His stomach gurgled violently with noisy hunger he took it, devouring the first half in less than a minute. 

“Good stuff,” he mumbled around a full mouth. 

There were still so many things he hated about her but being angry was exhausting, and damn this sandwich was delicious. 

“I thought you were in Italy,” he finally said. 

“I was… I got here a couple days ago.” 

“Hm.” He finished his sandwich and said, “so. Does Dinah still have that amazing hazelnut coffee?”

Helena scrunched her nose in distaste, “yes. Though amazing is not what I call adding hazelnut to coffee.”

He laughed, despite himself. “I’ll have a cup and then be on my way.” 

Helena wordlessly set out to make his coffee. Her overall decency with his presence was starting to make him uncomfortable. Shouldn’t she request he leave? Why feed him and let him ask for coffee -- and why host him and serve him? 

“Oliver,” she said as the water in the machine started heating up, the pity was back and it made him feel all kinds of upset. 

“I don’t need your pity.” 

“I don’t have pity for you,” she corrected, arms crossed. “I am sorry is all. I am sorry for what I did, and I am sorry your father did what he did.”

Oliver felt his eyes start to water -- an apology was the last thing he expected from her. He thought she hated him for the sins of his father too, like everyone else. 

“I’m sorry too,” Oliver exhaled, a tear escaped his eye and he hastily wiped it away. “I’m sorry I blamed Dinah leaving me for you… truth is I fucked that up myself. I only have myself to blame and probably she’s right. We aren’t meant to be like that. I came here because even after everything she’s the only person I can trust to make sure I don’t fuck up more than I already have. If she’s happy with you, I want her to be happy.” 

Helena looked surprised at that and gave him a nod. The expensive coffee machine made a noise, churning out his Hazelnut Delight into one of Dinah’s quirky mugs. 

“You know,” Helena slid his coffee over across the kitchen island between them, “I still own a lot of shares in Queen Industries and I’ve been thinking a lot over the last few days about what I want to do. Why don’t we rebuild things? I can appoint you C.E.O. but you would need to cut back on all the drinking and the drugs.”

Oliver paused, hesitating before taking a sip of his coffee. “You and me?”

“You figured out what I was up to when no one else did, I respect that.” Helena appraised him, the respect in her eyes actually made him feel something. For so long people had only looked at him as a fuckup, his parents his whole life never gave him compliments only criticisms.

“For what it’s worth,” Oliver took a sip of his coffee, “I really hated you until I found out your parents were murdered by my Dad, Erickson, and Junior. And turns out you’re a Galante by blood, eh? Is that legit?”

For the first time since he met the collected Bertinelli heir, Oliver saw his words cause her to crumble. 

“It’s so much worse than that,” she admitted in a grave tone. “I was just on the phone with my grandmother now. Her and my grandfather are so heavy with guilt I am making them stay in Sicily for the trial. He has been ill, it is not good for his blood pressure.” 

He listened as she explained, the DNA evidence of the rapes. Her theories and research into what his father and Junior did with Erickson’s help, how she even followed them to a warehouse to secure the confession. 

“We’ve both been disappointed with the truths of our lineage. Don’t we owe it to ourselves to do better?” Helena asked him, preparing another sandwich after checking the clock. 

He couldn’t agree more, eager to right the wrongs of his father. 

Dinah came back to her penthouse, shocked to find them at the kitchen island and talking with calm energy. Oliver was on his third hazelnut coffee as he observed Helena offering the sandwich she had made, and he looked away as Dinah rewarded her with a quick kiss. 

“I’ll uh…” He stood up and sighed at the awkwardness Dinah’s presence brought. “I’ll be on my way. Thanks, Helena.”

He was by the door when Dinah caught up to him, “hey. I’m still your friend if you want me to be, Oliver… I hope you know that.”

“I do know that,” he admitted, “and finally I can accept it too. I’ll be a good friend and… I’m happy for you. She’s… she’s cool. And she makes a good sandwich so, how can I compete with that?”

She smiled, recognizing that he was joking. “See you around, Oliver.” 

“See you around,” he saluted her and left, head held much higher than before. 

\--  
\--

“Queen Industries is fully supporting justice today,” Oliver said into his microphone. He was clean shaven and showered today, taking the heat of reporters questions in his suit and tie. “My sympathies and support go to my friend Helena Bertinelli and her family. For any involvement my father has to face justice like any American citizen would.” 

Helena was in the courthouse, watching Oliver’s speech from the television. He was on the steps, live, just outside as reporters kept trying to rapidly fire him questions. 

It was day one of the trial today, and since the moment Dinah held her hand in the car ride over, Helena had yet to relinquish it. 

The last few weeks she had simply stayed in Dinah’s penthouse. Dinah would go to the studio for work, and Helena coordinated with the legal team, occasionally facetiming her grandparents who were still staying in Sicily, and coming up with food to cook Dinah for dinner as a show of gratitude. 

“Are Helena Bertinelli and your ex-fiancee Dinah Lance a couple?”

“Yes, and I am happy for them,” Oliver said on the TV. 

Helena was startled from the screen when Dinah kissed her cheek. 

“Helena.” Ellen Yee and Helena’s full legal team were around her in an instant. “Junior Galante has requested an audience with you before the trial. He said he will only speak with you and no one else. No lawyers, nothing.”

Helena had not seen the man since she had beaten his face bloody. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this. 

“Whatever he tells you can be used in court,” Ellen encouraged her. “And we will be listening on the other side of the two way mirror, recording everything.”

Helena gave her consent in a hesitant nod, standing up nervously before turning to Dinah. She knew she would see him today -- but a private audience? 

“You will be okay,” Dinah cupped her cheeks and leaned up to press a comforting kiss to her lips. 

“Can she come with me?” Helena requested Ellen. 

“I would advise against that, he doesn’t know her so in my experience that would not get him to open up to you in an incriminating way.”

“I’ll be right outside,” Dinah promised, gingerly rubbing Helena’s shoulder. 

“Right.” Helena swallowed down the nausea in her stomach. “She can listen too, right?”

“Of course,” Ellen said, “I have some non-disclosure agreement she would have to sign though.” 

“God the press can’t get enough of me,” Oliver entered the courthouse, a grin on his lips as he interrupted the tense moment. “How’d I do?”

Helena gave him a small smile, “good.”

“Nice,” he looked quickly away as Dinah leaned in to kiss Helena again before pulling out his phone to keep distracted. They had made their peace but seeing Dinah kiss her was still hard. 

“Let Oliver listen in too,” Helena told Ellen, “if anything with his father comes up he deserves to know.” 

“Right,” Ellen half-heartedly agreed, leading the way to where they were keeping Junior. 

“What’s happening?” Oliver asked out loud, following them. 

They came to an enclosed room, a two-way mirror showed off an enclosed interrogation room where Junior Galante was shackled to a table. His jumpsuit was orange, and he looked bored. 

“Oh. That’s happening,” Oliver noted. 

Helena sucked in a breath at the sight of him. 

“Bertinelli,” Dinah’s Aunt, Renee Montoya, greeted her with a handshake where she and some of her team were around audio equipment. “If it gets too much just leave the room. We are right outside.”

“Right.” Helena hesitated at the door before turning to look at Dinah. Dinah gave her a smile. That smile gave her the courage she needed in the moment, and with a nod she stepped into the room to face her biological, murderous, rapist secret father. 

“What took you so long, Little Bertinelli,” Junior said as she approached the table. “Or should I say Junior Junior Galante.”

Helena raised her chin. She aimed to show no emotion to him by keeping her hands away from his sight as she clenched her fists painfully. 

“Heard I broke your jaw pretty bad,” she said coolly. 

Junior snorted, “had to drink from a straw. Who knew my daughter could throw a punch like that.”

“Who knew my father wasn’t my biological father because you raped my mother.”

Junior appraised her from head to toe before a sick, wide smile spread on his lips. 

“How do you know I raped her? Maybe she was willing?”

Helena didn’t move, she just raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Why don’t you sit down with your dad and I tell you the whole story.” 

“I don’t need your lies, and I won’t sit down with you,” Helena felt the anger of her entire life rise back to the surface. “No matter what you say the truth is you had my father, my mother, and my brother blown up on the street. DNA evidence proves you have raped before, and now Queen and Erickson have flipped on all your illegal business transgressions. Your father commited suicide because the truth was too much for him to face.”

Junior’s face took on a severe, angry turn. Perhaps he had thought Helena would be easier to rattle. Would want to let him tell her the tale. 

“I heard the old man left you everything, everything he was meant to leave me. I can’t even afford a fucking lawyer -- how is that justice, huh? I am your family, are you really going to believe everyone else and not listen to me even once?”

“Why should I believe anything you have to say?”

“I am your father!”

“Because you raped my mother!” Helena shouted at him now, unable to contain the volume, “you always told me how close the three of you were -- it was all lies! You always fought with my father, you were jealous of him!” 

Junior jumped up in anger, the chains of his handcuffs rattling his wrists, “you want to call that fool your father? He suspected my father -- too dumb to see what was right in front of him! He had no idea you were mine, none! Only Maria was smart enough. She wondered why you were so tall and nothing like your father… She confronted me about some girl claiming I raped her in college. She pieced it all together, the same way she always beat me in every paper in school. Always bested me in every project. Always the prettiest and smartest! But if she was so smart, how come she neve knew what I did to her?”

The venom and anger he yells back at her answers all the questions Helena had and when he sees her eyes flicker in shock, he continues on pleased to see her affected by his words. Worse than yelling, Junior’s tone took towards bragging. 

“Your father was always such an imbecile! I would have never had to kill him, he was my puppet. But your meddling mother started investigating me. I had Erickson tail her. I told Robert Queen that your father knew about all of our illegal businesses and was going to the cops, I told Erickson and that your mother knew it was him who helped me cover up my indiscretions for money and had proof. I played everyone -- everyone. And I got everything. Control of my company and Franco’s, all the glory of your mother’s inventions, and I saved you because you are my blood. You would be at school and they would be in the car.”

Helena schooled her shock at his truth back into disdain, “you’re fucking crazy.” 

“Don’t belittle me with that word,” he sat back down, huffing. “My father -- your grandparents, they are weak in their traditions. They have no ambition to take things to new heights. Franco, your fake father, was the same.”

“No. Franco is my real father.” 

“No!” Junior yelled back, “you are tactical, cunning. A strategist and a fighter. You are my legacy, Helena. I made you with Maria, her beauty and talent -- my ambition!”

“Legacy?” Helena is over him in two strides, losing all composure as she grabbed his prison shirt and lifted him to snarl in his face. “You are nothing to me. You are deluded. You raped my mother because you couldn’t have her or beat her? You’re a rapist. You killed my father and my little brother and so many other people? Drove your own father to suicide in shame? You’re a murderer. You think you’re so smart but really… you’re a fucking coward idiot-- ” 

He recoiled in shock when she threw him back against the chair in disgust. 

“I will never think of you again, in fact I am not even going to attend your trial. My lawyers will put you away and you can rot in your prison cell for the rest of your worthless life.” 

“What, no--” Junior yelled desperately at her retreating back, “we are not done, Helena! Helena! I will tell you what I did! I will tell you everything! You come back!”

Helena slammed the door behind her and turned her angry face to the shocked ones of her lawyers.

“Fuck,” Oliver looked back to the mirror where Junior was still screaming for her to return. 

“Maybe we can turn that off?” Dinah requested, taking Helena’s hand as the guy handling the equipment quickly turned off the sound so Junior's screams of frustration went unheard of. 

Helena sighed, “I’m going home. Update me when this is over.” 

“You got it,” Ellen promised. “You won’t be called to testify as far as I know. Go home.” 

“We have a lot he revealed in that psycho monologue. Thanks.” Renee gave a wiry smile before looking at her niece, “I’ll see you Saturday, Dinah.” 

Dinah gave a smile, “you got it.” 

“Wait.” Some of the lawyers hesitated, “um, can we get a picture with you Dinah? We were going to ask after the trial but…”

Helena glared at them, ready to shout at them for bothering Dinah, but before she could do that Dinah was saying “sure! Always a pleasure to meet fans. Babe, can you?” 

Helena is given one of the lawyer’s phones and she awkwardly takes a picture for them, in the corner of her eyes she sees Oliver snickering. 

She handed the phone back and watched the lawyers all walk aside after thanking the celebrity singer and leaving the room. 

“Montoya,” Ellen turned to Renee, awkwardly adjusting her glasses, “are we still on for a drink tonight?”

“Sure Yee,” Renee gave the woman a wink, watching her blush and rush off after her team. 

“You dating the lawyer?” Dinah poked her Aunt with a smirk. 

“Smart women are hot, sue me.” Renee rolled her eyes before leaving the room with a chuckle. 

“Dating Dinah means being a frequent photographer, all the best,” Oliver said with a parting smirk. “Have a good weekend guys. I’ll stay for the trial and handle the press.”

Left alone in the corridor, Helena felt the hand on her own squeezing gently as a reassurance. 

“You okay?” Dinah asked quietly. 

“No.” Helena confessed. “But I will be. Let's go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Helena's mother was a drug rape victim of Junior which resulted in Helena's pregnancy. Junior's DNA was linked to multiple other cold cases as well. When Helena's mother started to become suspicious is when he had them all killed (if Helena was in the car her DNA would show she was a Galante so he spared her -- he did not spare her because of any love whatsoever).


	4. Family Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up this is 90% smut or so. Includes strap-on sex ... and they are disgustingly in love.

Helena took a deep breath, looked straight on with determination and mustered all the feelling she could to ask: 

“Will you marry me?”

A pause… No, that didn’t sound right. There was no response, and there wouldn’t be one anyways. She was speaking to her reflection, rehearsing the perfect way of inflecting her voice for when she popped 'the question.' 

“Will YOU marry me?” 

No, hell no. 

This time she changed the angle of her head to appeal more ‘sexy’ when she asked: “Will you marry me and be mine?”

A huff, that was even worse. 

“Would you be my marry -- I mean wife -- I mean FUCK!”

Helena smacked her fists down on the counter top of her private bathroom before staring at herself seriously in the mirror and trying once more with feeling. 

“Dinah,” a determined swallow, “please marry me?”

She looked at her reflection with disdain before she ran an irritated hand through her hair. 

“Agh fucking proposal,” Helena was frustrated -- hell she was nervous and frustrated. Nothing came out quite right. 

Dinah came back from the west coast to Gotham tomorrow morning and Helena was going to meet her at the airport. The singer had been touring for three months now and they often video called or phone called (their phone sex had gotten a lot better) but after three years together Helena was especially sure that now was the right time to propose. 

She really wanted it, to have a marriage and everything she could with Dinah. 

Helena was in her pajamas now, a thin spaghetti strap top and cotton pants, but grabbed her silk purple robe and walked down to the kitchens. Her nerves were making her queasy and oddly hungry with serious stress-eating, cravings for chocolate. 

Was proposing this hard for everyone? 

“You wait until marriage to let yourself go, Helena. Not before,” is how her grandfather finds her in the kitchen at midnight, halfway through a fistful of chocolate almonds as she hobbles close on his walking cane.

He has started using one in the last year with a weaker knee and usually Helena could hear the cane making a sound on the floor but she was too nervous with her obvious shitty proposal skills to have realised he was there. 

“Don’t listen to him. Tch. Stupid advice, Alfredo.” Her grandmother is behind him, a soft smile on her face as she reaches for the cupboards to take out some mugs, “lots of food now but after the wedding you have to work twice as hard on your body to keep them from straying!”

“Straying?” Helena croaked, her chewing paused at the horrible idea. 

“I never stray from you!” Alfredo defended himself. 

“Ay! Because I keep myself hot!”

Helena knew Dinah would never cheat, she wasn’t like that. But she decided to listen to her grandmother on this one -- stay fit after marriage. She nodded. 

Her grandmother put on the kettle and leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

“Did you tell her she is to move in here with us?”

“I’m not going to tell her, Nonna,” Helena said for what felt like the hundredth time. “She should be allowed to keep her own place too.” 

“Tch, this mansion is HUGE, and my granddaughter is a billionaire, Dinah can stay here. You’ve been denying her your egyptian thread sheets.”

“Nonna!”

“She would be more open to talking about staying here if you let her sleep over here,” Rosa turned around to reach for the kettle, “I’m just saying.”

“We don’t -- the -- no before marriage!”

“Exactly,” Alfredo said, “Helena has stayed pure before marriage, Rosa. Don’t tease the poor girl too much.” 

Rosa muttered under breath giving them all some herbal tea and sneaking a chocolate covered almond for herself. “Does she think I’m as stupid as him?”

Thankfully, having to lie about her virginity to her grandfather or defend Dinah’s right to have her own apartment to her grandmother, Helena was saved when her grandfather changed the subject and also grabbed some almonds for himself. 

“So, how are you going to do it?” Alfredo asked over a full mouth. 

“Romantic dinner, on Sunday. I hired violins,” Helena shared, nervous again as she pictured the evening: Dinah smiling at her over candles, romantic violins, a delicious meal served by the best chef in Gotham… surely Dinah would agree after all of that? 

“Violins?” Her grandmother pointed a deadly finger clearly unimpressed, “that’s it? I should cook her dinner instead. Remind her stomach about when I help you two get together with my magical leftovers.” 

“Nonna! I hired that caterer you mentioned, it was your idea!”

“I’m just saying, violins? Maybe if it was a cello? But bring here instead! Maybe If she sees our hopeful faces and this mansion again to remind her all she can have, it will sway her answer in your favour.”

“But… but that’s why I hired the yacht, Nonno said it was why you said yes.” 

“Yes,” Alfredo said as he chewed some more chocolate almonds, “a yacht! Your grandmother loved my romantic water proposal!”

“Yacht? He proposed to me on a leaking canoe -- we were not rich then, Helena. He was a poor shoemaker’s boy before we came to America.” 

Helena’s face took on a sudden panic. 

“Yacht, canoe, whatever! It will be fine, Helena.” He pinched her cheek. “Remember to read a poem, though!”

“No, don’t read a poem, the poem almost put me to sleep!”

“I thought you liked my poem?”

“No, I said yes because it was cold, the little boat was leaking and I wanted to go home. You were a little more handsome than the other guy and better kisser.”

“What other guy!”

As her grandparents started going back and forth in Sicilian to start giving her more tips, Helena took a nervous sip of her tea and cursed. 

She had to cancel the violins and the yacht -- clearly her grandfather’s ‘foolproof’ proposal was not exactly a guaranteed yes. 

\--  
\--

Helena stared at the diamond ring in her pocket, making sure it was there. She kept it on her at all times, too neurotic to let it out of her sight. 

It was a yellow sapphire cut with small blue diamonds -- a custom made piece she had fixed from Sicily. Here grandmother had been insistent on something bigger, something more expensive, but Helena knew Dinah loathed ‘tradition’ and ‘classic jewelry.’ Every ring -- and there were many -- on Dinah’s fingers had stories and uniqueness. 

Helena chose a gold set for the jewels, because Dinah loved gold most. She picked the yellow sapphire because Dinah felt diamonds were ‘too cliche’ and it was the closest to Dinah’s favourite colour ‘canary yellow.’ The blue diamonds were rare and valuable, the most expensive diamonds available, and Helena’s quiet way of showing how much Dinah meant to her -- how valuable and precious she was. How rare and perfect. 

The ring was perfect, sitting comfortably in a purple velvet box. The proposal? The proposal was far from perfect. 

After giving up on the yacht and the violins and the caterer (the caterer had been particularly perturbed so she rebooked him to serve his meal to her grandparents for a quiet evening in), she had become increasingly nervous. Dinah was back from her tour all Helena had was a ring with no plan on how to give it. 

She stood patiently beside Dinah’s Jaguar, having driven it over for her girlfriend who loved her car almost as much as she loved Helena. While she visited Dinah throughout her tour whenever possible (they had just canoodled for the weekend in Metropolis three weeks ago), being with her back home for the next six months was exciting. She had missed her a lot, like really missed her. 

The airplane door opened a small staircase dropping to the pavement. Helena quickly put the ring back in her pocket and stood as casually as she could, her eyes eagerly searching for Dinah to appear. 

After a few recognizable backup singers and dancers, Dinah exited the jet. Everyone was waving ‘bye’ and Dinah’s manager pointed over her shoulder to where Helena was. The second Dinah saw her, a bright smile lit her face and she ignored her luggage to run over. 

Helena let go of the velvet box she had been clenching nervously in her pocket and reached for her girlfriend as she approached, smiling and even laughing in delight when Dinah jumped at her arms with a fierce embrace. 

They hugged like they never had before, and it was clear to Helena that Dinah had missed her just as much. 

“I love you,” Dinah leaned back from the hug to say before kissing her with a smile. 

Helena sighed into the kiss, her knees weak. “I love you too.” 

“Let’s get out of here,” Dinah giggled, allowing one more peck before walking back to the luggage. 

“No, no,” Helena stopped her with a tug on her wrist. “You’ve been carrying your luggage all around the country. Let me carry it to the car?”

“Fine,” Dinah smirked at her before stepping closer, “But I’ve also been taking care of myself this whole tour -- you going to take care of me tonight, Bertinelli?”

Unable to respond, Helena nodded and ran to the luggage to collect it as Dinah laughed behind her and hopped into her car. 

\--

Dinah loved listening to Helena’s heartbeat. It was always so soft, thudding like a metronome and in the last few years it had helped her write some of her best songs. 

‘When I hear your heartbeat’ had been particularly specific, a slow love song that had been in the top ten for the longest. 

“Your hair is getting darker,” Helena commented from where she was playing with Dinah’s few locs, gently petting and twirling them. 

It had taken some time for Helena to become more relaxed whenever they cuddled, and Dinah particularly loved having her hair played with. 

“Yeah I need to touch it up,” Dinah closed her eyes and kissed the slope of Helena’s breast near her heart. This was heaven . 

“You’re beautiful whatever colour your hair is,” Helena mumbled, sounding sleepy. 

Dinah wanted to reply but ended up coughing realising how thirsty she was. Maybe before she got too comfortable it would be a smart idea to rehydrate -- a long flight and sex definitely deserved a glass of water. 

“I’ll get us some water, babe. Be right back.” 

“Hmmm,” Helena didn’t argue, watching her with an adoring, very sleepy smile as she got out of the bed. Dinah returned the smile -- that woman in her bed watching her was all hers and she was so in love it was disgusting. 

Another specific song title.

She stretched and reached for her silk kimono, shivering a little without the body warmth of her tall, furnace girlfriend. Dinah covered a yawn, tying the robe at her waist before getting some water from the kitchen. She was spent and sore in the most delicious way, her luggage was still in the trunk of her Jaguar because she had been way too impatient to drag Helena to the penthouse and in her bed, dropping their clothes everywhere.

They had fallen into bed with heated kisses and Dinah had kept Helena between her legs for two hours.

Now, her thighs were burning in the best way and she really needed some water. She drank some for herself and poured one glass to keep by Helena’s bedside table. She tiptoed back with another yawn and set the water down on Helena’s side of the bed. With her having slipped out, Helena had buried face first into the pillows, hair a mess and shoulders and spine on full display. Dinah bit her lip -- tempted to initiate another round. 

“You still awake babe?” 

She got a soft grunt in response, causing her to chuckle. 

“How tired are-- agh!”

As she went to walk back to her side of the bed, she tripped in the dark over some of the clothes they had taken off each other. 

“Ouch, fuck,” she had stubbed her toe and comically jumped up and down on one foot before sitting at the foot of the bed and hissing. 

“Y’okay?”A very worried Helena sat up and peered over her shoulder trying to find out what caused the noise, sitting up with concern and panic. 

“Yeah, just my toe, I stubbed it on something...” she became curious, wondering what could have possibly done that. 

Her toe had touched something hard and out of curiosity she reached down in the dark and lifted up…

A leather coat: Helena’s coat. 

“There’s something in your coat-- did you get a new set of keys?” She felt around in the pocket and pulled out what her toe had hit. 

“Wait, Dinah -- don’t--” Helena was full on panicking and tried to jump forward, falling off the bed in an odd display of clumsiness when the bed sheet kept her from jumping forward, tangling at her waist. 

It was dark but the moment Dinah felt the square shape and velvet touch, her heart stopped. With wide eyes she quickly stuffed the box back in the jacket and dropped it to the floor. 

“Was that box what I think it was?” She was guilty and turned around to see where Helena had landed on the ground, hair askew and arms over her face -- a naked bundle in twisted sheets. 

There was an unhappy groan. 

“I didn’t open it,” Dinah promised. Helena groaned again and covered her face under the blankets. 

Dinah giggled -- she couldn’t help it. 

She rolled her eyes and went to go investigate her girlfriend, only visible by a tangled head of hair. With a sigh, she laid atop the blankets and pulled it down to see a face. 

“Helena are you crying?”

“No!” Helena huffed, “I’m not. I’m angry that I ruined it.”

“You didn’t ruin anything -- ” 

“You weren’t supposed to know until Sunday, I rehearsed it and everything!”

It was muffled in the sheets but Dinah rolled off to the side and laughed hysterically. 

“This is not funny Dinah,” Helena peeked out from the sheets and glowered at her, “I only get to propose to you once. I’ve been practicing.” 

That only made her laugh more. 

“I don’t think I want to anymore,” Helena said petulantly, fighting a smile as she watched Dinah’s free joy. 

“Babe, I promise, you haven’t ruined anything okay,” Dinah leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I mean, with your grandparents and my parents it is literally no secret you were going to propose.” 

“It wasn’t?”

“No. Come on. My dad and mom meeting you in Sicily, our family dinners where your grandma keeps shoving us IVF and surrogate pamphlets? Adoption documentaries? Wedding catalogues? Asking me what room I like most in the mansion? She was more discreet than you trying to find out my ring size, babe.” 

“Well, fuck,” Helena looked up at the ceiling. “Huh. You know, I was once a very discreet spy.”

“Taking down the people involved in murdering your family? Sure. Proposing to me? Not so much.”

Helena turned over and with shy, hopeful eyes she asked, “does… does that mean yes?”

Instead of saying anything, Dinah leaned forward and kissed her -- dirty, hot, wet, and entirely meant to translate to ‘hell fucking yes.’ 

When she leaned back, Helena’s face was flushed and her lips swollen. 

“Ask me on Sunday like you rehearsed. Looking forward to it. Now, let’s get back in bed?”

“I’m not quite so tired anymore after that kiss,” Helena confessed, her eyes dipping down along Dinah’s throat and chest where the robe had loosely pushed aside to show off the slopes of her cleavage

“Well,” Dinah bit her lip, “I just rehydrated and now I’m feeling a little hungry…if you’re not too tired...”

“No,” Helena’s voice cracked, “I could, I mean… yes.”

She kissed Helena again, slow and careful to set the pace, before moving the sheet out of her way and trailing kisses down Helena’s exposed body, first stopping to kiss and suck at her cute breasts. The nipples were still sensitive from earlier and Helena whimpered when she nipped them with her teeth -- Dinah could feel how wet she was getting and peppered kisses down her lean stomach and sharp hip bones to give her body what it was asking for.

“You’re so hot, babe, so beautiful,” she told Helena before salaciously settling her face between muscular thighs, rubbing them in circles. 

There was the way Helena’s eyes watched her own when she did this that was inexplicably intimate -- the trust, the desire, the love… Dinah was hopelessly devoted. 

And knowing Helena had bought her a ring, even though it was not really a surprise, Dinah wanted to give her adoring, perfect woman as much appreciation as she could in the most intimate act she could. 

“You’re so good at that,” Helena moaned, bucking her hips as Dinah took her first taste. Dinah smiled as thighs tensed around her ears.

She groaned into Helena and pushed her thighs farther apart. The sheet was cast to the side and Helena kept herself propped up on one arm while the other fisted Dinah’s hair. Having her hair played with was nice, but whenever Helena lost control and gripped her locs like this while she ate the taller woman out -- that was a whole nother kind of heaven. 

Dinah sucked and licked, stroking her tongue gently and then roughly, building Helena up possessively with their eyes locked, knowing she was the only one to have her like this. 

“Oh, Dinah,” Helena closed her eyes when she started to shake, neck arched, “fuck!”

Dinah stroked her through the waves, and then kissed back up Helena’s lithe body, panting into the thankful kiss Helena gave her. She climbed into her lap, arms over shoulders, gasping as Helena’s hands massaged up and down her body, over her hip and thigh. 

“I love you,” Dinah nuzzled her nose before kissing it. 

“Mmm… love you so much…” Helena’s hand slipped into the front of her robe to massage her breast as they kissed again. “What do you need, let me --”

Dinah sighed when Helena’s hand pulled on the know of her robe, it came apart easily and the cool air greeting her skin contrasted with the warm palm that cupped her breast, a thumb grazing her nipple, before it slid down the flat muscles of her abdomen to circle her wet heat. 

“Mmmm,” she kissed Helena again, arching into her touch and requested, “how about you get that strap-on out for me babe?”

Helena nodded into her kiss and heaved her onto the bed in an attractive display of strength. Their lips remained attached as Helena reached blindly for the drawer where the nightstand on her side of the bed kept a bright purple dildo in it’s harness (Dinah liked it kept, washed and ready to go when she wanted it). 

She shuffled back on the bed to lie back on the pillows, watching Helena step quickly into the harness and tighten the straps, securing them before grabbing the lube next and getting it ready. 

“Can I face you?” Helena spread the lube over the silicone, eyes on her as she closed the drawer shut after tossing the lube carelessly inside.

Dinah felt her body’s arousal hit a new level. 

“Come here,” Dinah spread her legs, inviting Helena into them with a provocative come-hither look, showing her how wet she was. She preferred being face down when Helena penetrated her, hence Helena’s request, but she understood her girlfriend’s desire to watch her come undone today. After she had stubbed her toe and happened across that not-so-secret ring it was like their love needed to be acknowledged again. 

Helena settled on the bed with her knees between Dinah’s legs before she leaned over to steal a kiss. Dinah sucked on her girlfriend’s bottom lip, running hands down her neck, arms and across her breasts before leaning back down into the pillows and nodding consent for Helena to continue, both of them watching her line up the head of the dildo to enter Dinah at just the right angle. 

Softly groaning as it filled her up, slow and hard, Dinah caressed her own nipples in ecstasy. She loved the feeling of the cold appendage entering her warm heat, loved the way Helena’s hips met hers when it was all the way inside, and the way toned arms by her head displayed control and strength as Helena started to rock and create delicious friction. Dinah rocked with her, gripping her muscular back with blunt nails to pull her in closer. 

Helena hissed when she broke skin, moaning when Dinah ran nails purposefully down her spine as they fell into a steady rhythm. 

Helena started to circle her hips, motivated to get Dinah to scream with a quicker pace and deeper reach. She buried her face in Helena’s neck and shoulder, breathing in the scent of her lavender shampoo from her hair and biting soft skin. She knew Helena loved the scratches and bites, and Helena whispered into her ear as much. 

“I love making you feel like this, i love you… fuck you’re so beautiful…” 

“So good,” she said back into Helena’s ear and begged her to continue, rolling her hips up into Helena’s when they pressed down, “you make me feel so good baby, only you can make me feel this way…”

Helena’s talent with a strap on was out of this world -- Dinah had never been able to climax from penetration alone until the first time they experimented with it and a shy Helena had slowly fucked her into the mattress and apologized for not making it last longer than two minutes. 

“Let me see you,” Helena leaned back on her knees, the toy slipping out of her to just the tip and the warmth of her body gone. Dinah groaned in protest at the loss, but when Helena adjusted her by pulling her over her thighs and holding her hips down, back inside and picking up the pace of her thrusts, the sudden powerful thrums of her oncoming pleasure made Dinah forget any objection and succumb. 

“Fuck, fuck, yes!” The obscenities from her throat grew in volume and she could feel the scream building up in her throat when Helena slowed her thrusts down to make sure they hit harder and lasted longer. Her breasts bounced with each intended movement and Helena's hands kept her hips steady as her back arched into her pleasure and the sinful noise from her throat escaped. 

Helena removed the toy gently, careful not to hurt her before lying down beside her and catching her breath, sweetly kissing her cheek. 

“You’re so beautiful Dinah,”

“Fuck, Helena. I can’t… I hope I made you feel good too, baby, because that was… I can’t feel my legs.” 

“Um, all sex with you is perfect. You’re always making me feel good.” 

Dinah giggled rolling onto her side to watch her gorgeous girlfriend watching her. Helena was clearly enjoying the sight of her, silk robe undone and heaving breasts. Dinah smirked at the way those dilated eyes took her in. There was something about knowing she was the only person Helena had ever loved like this, shared her body with like this, that made her feel special and powerful at the same time. She had deflowered a sex goddess and she was glad no one else would ever get a taste. 

“Yeah I think you’re pretty perfect too.” 

Helena’s smile was so happy Dinah knew she would spend the rest of her life protecting it. 

\--  
\--  
\--

Dinah wasn’t sure what to expect when Sunday rolled around, Helena had been a nervous wreck the last couple of days, but when Sunday hit Helena had suggested they spar in the Lance family’s private gym, she had appreciated the callback to their first fling and made sure to wear her sexiest workout attire. The building was entirely their own on Sundays, and the lights were very dim as they warmed up -- eyes watching each other stretch with flirtatious anticipation. 

When they sparred, giggling and shamelessly allowing their touches to linger, Dinah felt nervous and half expected to spin kick and find Helena down on one knee. 

Instead Dinah’s back hit the gym mat as her body was flipped in a tricky maneuver she had still not figured out how to stop. Helena’s smile was impish and smug for pinning her, once again in this way, and incredibly adorable. 

“Got you,” Helena teased, her eyes obvious in their affection. “You’re distracted.”

“Oh yeah?” Dinah pushed herself up onto her elbows before she kissed that grin, pleased when Helena met her eagerly with a soft groan and loosened her hold. 

She opened her mouth to allow Helena’s tongue entry and used that moment to twist her hips, shove shoulders, and flip their positions. Helena was always easily distracted when her lips were involved. She loved the power that gave her. 

“Who’s distracted now? Got you,” She purred, sitting up on a slim waist to remove the thin t-shirt she had been sparring in. “We both win.” 

Seeing Helena’s body surrendered underneath her hips right where Dinah wanted her was intoxicating -- oh the things she loved to do to her tall, very fit, very hot, very muscularly gifted girlfriend. She rocked her hips gently, playfully, and pressed her palms against Helena’s bare midriff, right at the spot her bra met ribcage where she knew Helena was most sensitive. 

She was rewarded a soft moan, and with a coy bite of her lip she trailed her hands down against a lean abdomen, promising Helena with her eyes that she was just getting started. 

They had been goofing around with some wrestling moves, no sparring gloves involved. It was past midnight at the Lance family’s private gym and record label building, and Helena had coyly teased they spar in private like the night they first hung out three years ago (and hooked up). 

It was one hundred percent foreplay, essentially a tradition of theirs at this point. And Dinah knew tonight was special, but no one said she had to wait to be proposed to before staking her claim.

Helena closed her eyes as Dinah continued her appreciative rubdown, letting out a soft moan when fingertips trailed back up her ribs and daringly pushed under her sports bra to cup breasts. Dinah teased the erect nipples with her thumbs, watching Helena struggle to keep her composure. 

Helena suddenly pushed up into a sitting position, her arms wrapping around Dinah’s waist with a familiar hold that had the blonde melting into her. Helena kissed her with a lot of promise, heady and sweet and lacking patience. Dinah released her breasts to grip Helena’s shoulders and hair, kissing her back and agreeing that they both needed an orgasm as soon as possible, so she was fine with letting the foreplay end. 

She made a hard push against shoulders to get them both to fall back against the mat, resuming her upperhand. 

“Uh uh, not so fast babe...” Dinah pinned two hands up above Helena’s head, “let me do you first?” 

Helena’s face was red and she nodded, letting Dinah do as she pleased. It was clear she was suffering when denied to touch. 

“I love you,” As she said it, Dinah’s fingertips pressed back into ribs and she slowly reached down and slipped her hands into Helena’s yoga pants -- right where she knew her girlfriend would be ready for her. Helena was wet. 

“Mmmm love you too,” Helena’s hands clenched by her head as her face twisted in pleasure. “Fuck.” 

With one hand holding her body weight upright so she could lean down to kiss her girlfriend, Dinah pushed forward and curled her middle finger inside Helena’s slick heat. 

“You’re so ready for me,” Dinah sucked her bottom lip and rubbed a thumb to Helena’s clit. 

Helena bucked into her hand, groaning into her mouth. Dinah entered a second finger -- deep as she could with this angle. Her tips touched a sensitive front wall and Helena couldn’t hold her hands back any more, pulling her down and using her hips as an anchor to ruck up into her. 

“Oh Helena,” Dinah kissed her again, inhaling the soft moans and unable to keep their lips seperated for too long, “that’s it babe… come for me.” 

“Fuck,” Helena’s last few thrusts up into Dinah’s skilled wrist slowed as she tried to reach her climax. 

Dinah leaned back, and there was a pause as Helena’s body arched into her release, her mouth open in ecstasy. Dinah was mesmerized, viewing her handiwork. Helena was precious, and Dinah was possessive -- an emotion she had never felt with any significant other before. 

She removed her fingers slowly and maintained eye contact, licking her fingers clean and smirking when Helena got that look on her face: the one that promised Dinah would be screaming in the next five minutes. 

Dinah stood up and quickly removed her shorts before tossing them playfully on a flustered Helena’s face. 

“Hey!”

Giggling again, she sat back down on her favourite spot atop defined stomach muscles, and knew they could both feel how wet she was. 

“Oh,” Helena's cheeks turned redder at the sensation than they had during her peak moment. 

“Yeah, oh,” Dinah moved in a way that got her arousal all over Helena’s abs. “Only for you.”

“W-What do you want me to do to you?” Helena’s hands massaged her thighs as her eyes stayed transfixed on the dark spot visible in Dinah’s underwear, feeling the desire on her body. 

Dinah got even wetter, not knowing that could be possible at this point. After three years the fact that Helena could still stutter during sex was so… Dinah was a goner everytime those big brown eyes watched her like this. 

“Like this,” Dinah requested, giving a slow roll of her hips back and forth, like Helena was a saddle she was mounting. “Fingers. Rough.” 

Helena rubbed her thighs again and then used her left arm -- her non-dominant arm -- to touch the wet patch against Dinah’s underwear and rub. 

“How’s this?” Came a whisper. 

“Yes -- just like that -- fuck, Helena.” 

Her girlfriend was some kind of ambidextrous savant when it came to finger-fucking, right hand or left hand, no matter what position or angle -- Helena always brought her to a climax Dinah could only describe as thunderous. 

Moving her underwear aside, Helena thrust up and coaxed a small gasp of ‘yes’ from her throat before thrusting up again -- rough as requested. 

Dinah met her thrust for thrust, riding long fingers with passion until she came with a scream in Helena’s mouth. 

As she calmed down her breathing, Dinah rolled off of her girlfriend, her back hitting the mat again with her eyes closed. 

“Mmm, you could ask me now and I would totally say yes,” Dinah teased before turning to look at her sweat-sexy girlfriend who was watching her with love, giggling at Dinah’s words. 

“You want me to propose here, on this mat? After we just fucked?” Her eyebrow told she was teasing and Dinah weakly smacked her stomach. 

“I thought you brought me here because this is where we first hooked up,” she faked upset, “that would have been so romantic.” 

“No way,” Helena rolled over, to rest her hand on her cheek and use her other hand to gently rub a circle on Dinah’s hip with her thumb. “Have you met my grandparents? I can’t tell them I proposed to you in a gym anymore than I can tell them you found out I was going to propose to you. They would be so sad.”

Dinah giggled, picturing the looks on Rosa and Alfredo’s faces and silently agreeing those details could stay between the two of them. 

“So what are you going to tell them?”

“For that… let’s get out of here?” Helena sounded nervous again and Dinah’s eyes softened at her shaky voice. 

“It’s just me, Helena,” she lifted the hand at her lips and kissed, “you don’t have to be nervous. Just be you.” 

“I know,” Helena said back gently, “I just… I just really hope you like it.” 

\--

Dinah had expected a yacht or something equally cliche (her mom and Helena’s grandmother were loud), but instead, to her surprise she was brought to Helena’s office. 

A Sunday night of fucking in her place of work, and now a stop at the Bertinelli offices?

“We have never had sex in your office, babe,” Dinah stepped off the motorcycle and clutched her yellow helmet with a tease. “Not the proposal I thought you had in mind.”

“Oh my god,” Helena gave a ‘please stop’ look, flaming red cheeks and all. “Can you please be serious, this is supposed to be romantic.” 

“I mean we literally fucked in a boxing ring so…”

“Just -- fucking -- just, ugh, Dinah, come on.” 

Dinah followed her through the walkway and up the elevator. The building was dead, save for the security guards who greeted Helena with a nod as she used her keycard and fingerprint clearance to go to the top floor. 

Helena worked exclusively on designing engines now. She was still a majority shareholder but had handed over all management and operation to Oliver Queen.

Seeing her ex fiance become business partners with Helena had been a little strange, but Oliver had managed to bring his family name out of the dirt and cut back on his partying. 

More than that, Dinah had been able to salvage a platonic friendship with him. There was an understanding now and Dinah was proud of him for his efforts to pick himself up and change. He was even a father now, and his girlfriend he accidentally knocked up was kind of bitchy but in that ‘I can respect you’ way, not that ‘I hate you’ way. She hoped they worked out, Nancy didn’t seem like a gold digger at least, and she hoped more people had the kind of relationship she had with Helena. People should not be denied this kind of happiness. 

As for Oliver and Helena, they were not really friends but Oliver had a lot of respect for her. He had even attended her last few birthday parties without causing any drama and gifting a nice scotch Dinah and Alfredo tended to finish off before Helena ever got a sip. 

“So. Here we are, in your office... my panties are still ruined from earlier... how do you want me?”

Dinah closed the door behind her and set her helmet down on Helena’s desk as she leaned against it and teased her girlfriend. 

Helena turned on the light and set her helmet down with a thunk, “Dinah we are not having sex in my office!”

“See now I’m taking that as a challenge,” Dinah stepped close to her and stared at her beautiful girlfriend’s lips with determination. 

Crossing her arms Helena took a step back, blushing, “I’m serious, okay! I -- are you ready?”

“Ready for what?” Dinah crossed her arms back, amused.

“F-for,” Helena groaned, “ You know what! I’m -- wait.” 

The nervous stuttering and adorable agitation were fun to watch, but Dinah patiently watched as Helena fumbled for a file on her desk and then handed it over to her. 

“What’s this?”

“Read it,” Helena pleaded. 

Confused, Dinah opened the folder. She recognized the familiar sketches of Helena’s work and humoured her by skimming the file. 

“What am I supposed to be--” and then she paused because she understood. 

‘Dinah’ was the name of an electrical engine, an engine she knew Helena had been working on for the last two years to get into the racing market. It was always ‘EE prototype 1’ or whatever number variant before, but now it had a name. Her name. 

With shock, she looked up to ask Helena for an explanation only to realise Helena was no longer standing but down on one knee with a purple velvet box open. The box showed off a gorgeous ring, mesmerizing in it’s uniqueness as it sparkled in the fluorescent office lights and Dinah had to eat her words because this was fucking romantic as hell. 

She eagerly waited for Helena to ask the question, but when Helena’s lips parted to talk -- no sound came out. 

Helena froze. She tried to talk again, sucking in a breath, but, once again no words came out. 

Dinah felt tears of joy come to her eyes at her incredible girlfriend who could design an engine and name it after her but not even ask her four simple words even though she knew Dinah would say yes. 

Setting the file aside, Dinah got down to her knees and examined the ring up close before taking it from the box and slipping it onto her finger and then kissing Helena with every ounce of love she could muster. 

\--  
\--  
\--  
\--

“And then we totally fucked in her office,” Dinah finished recounting the story to Harley who was still fawning over her engagement ring. “But that part is secret.”

“Oh my god,” Harley squealed. “That’s so romantic. I will totally be a bridesmaid!” 

Dinah was about to remind her she had not asked but then again, why not. Harley was a good friend, considering they could openly discuss their sex lives (her kinks were vanilla in comparison to what Harley did with her girlfriend Pam) and had made millions in the industry together. She shrugged, “cool.” 

It was Monday night and dinner was at the Bertinelli mansion. Usually dinner was done on Sundays, but because of the proposal Alfredo and Rosa had requested Monday instead. 

Dinah loved dinners there, she would always arrive in time to watch Rosa boss Helena around the kitchen, and Helena was ever the dutiful granddaughter who reached for things in high places and let her hand get swatted. Dinah loved it, and she loved tea and whiskey with Alfredo and learning about his little bottle ships and stories from the old days. 

They had become her family and welcomed her with open arms. 

She parked her Jaguar and let herself inside, chatting with the butler Tony about his husband and kids, and showing him the ring when he asked. 

“There’s my baby!” The shrill voice of her mother caught her attention and Dinah was surprised -- her parents were supposed to be in Amsterdam at the moment!

“Mom!”

“Darling,” her father, Larry, was engulfing her in a hug as her mother cried tears of joy, kissing her cheeks. 

“Dad! Oh my god what -- Renee?” She spotted her Aunt behind her mother and hugged her next, overwhelmed with the surprise. She had not seen them all in so long with all the touring. 

Since Renee had helped out with the Junior trial and scandal, Dinah’s mom had reconnected with her step-sister. They had become close again after whatever it was that had previously torn them apart. 

Renee had even become a quest for Rosa’s Sunday dinners, making a stop at least once a month. 

“Hey kid, congrats,” Renee ruffled her head and kissed her cheek. 

“Seriously you guys this just happened yesterday!” 

“As soon as we found out we came to surprise you. We haven’t slept in eighteen hours,” her mother told her, laughing. 

Dinah felt all the happiness of the previous day hit her once again. Today she had been gliding on cloud nine (and not just because of all the Sunday orgasms, but because she was engaged to the perfect woman), and now her family was here to share it with her and she had missed them all so much. 

“There she is!” Rosa came from the kitchen arms open wide when she saw Dinah. “Let me see the ring! Helena never showed me.”

Everyone oohed and ahhed over her ring while Helena approached quietly, her grandfather slowly hobbling on his new walking cane to join the family gathering in the lobby.

“My granddaughter-in-law to be!” He kissed her cheeks and said a rush of words in Sicilian to Helena before hugging his granddaughter. 

Dinah caught Helena’s eyes and smiled -- they were engaged now and she could see the same glow of happiness she felt in Helena’s face. When Oliver had proposed it was nothing like this, this absolute certainty that Helena was the proverbial one. 

Leaving one another that morning for work had been so painful but they knew they would meet again for dinner. 

“A toast before dinner?” Tony arrived with a tray of eight champagne flutes, offering them around. Everyone took one and then all turned to him and complained for him to grab one for himself and join them -- Rosa scolding him in Sicilian for not bringing himself a glass. 

“Wait, let us all say something,” Dinah’s mom dramatically said as Tony sheepishly returned with his flute of champagne. “I’ll go first… to the happy couple, let’s plan the best wedding ever!”

Rosa cheered, “yes! And to my future great-grandchildren you can thank me for my cooking!”

Dinah snorted into her hand when Helena sent scandalised eyes at Rosa’s narration. 

“To my beautiful granddaughter, a blessing into our lives and home. I wish you and Dinah love and happiness,” Alfredo started to sniffle then, looking up at Dinah he pleaded, “take care of her?”

“I promise,” Dinah said, making sure to say it in Sicillian so it meant more to him. She had picked up a little bit. 

“Oh you are perfect Dinah,” Rosa gushed, “I can’t wait for you to move into the mansion with us. Dinah, Larry, you have raised a smart, beautiful, wonderful daughter!”

“Um,” Helena’s eyes were wide and she flushed, “Nonna, Dinah might not--”

“Thank you Rosa,” Dinah Senior hugged her newfound friend and conspirator. “We will soon be family!” 

“To my niece and you, Bertinelli,” Renee raised her flute of champagne, “happy for you both. Congrats.” 

Her less dramatic and classy toast was appreciated and Dinah smiled at her. She caught Helena’s panicked eyes, still stressing over her grandmother’s comment. 

“You b-both,” Larry started to sob uncontrollably, his facade breaking, “God I’m so happy for my baby girl! Helena I’m so excited for you to join our family, you’re a wonderful woman for my Dinah.” 

“Jesus, dad, it’s not even the wedding.” Dinah awkwardly patted his shoulder. 

“I just want someone worthy who truly loves you,” Larry wiped his tears, “and now you have someone.”

“There there honey,” Dinah Drake hugged him, soothing him with a rub on his back. “He hasn’t cried like this since you were born, Di.” 

Dinah had never seen her father cry in his life and felt a swell of love for her parents. 

“Um, if I may,” Tony cleared his throat, the last to contribute to his toast. “While I have only known you, Miss Lance, for the last few years, I have known Helena since she was a young girl even before going to Sicily, and I have seen her in Sicily when I accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Bertinelli on their visits… I have since seen her when she returned. She loves you and you love her, I see her smile and laugh where I once always saw her angry and sad. I toast your upcoming nuptials and I promise when you live here I will wait on your hand and foot and yes, Mrs. Bertinelli requested I add that part.” 

Dinah snickered, touched with the speeches of their wayward family and the obviousness of Rosa wanting her to live with them (and how much Helena was clearly worried it would upset her). 

“I love all of you,” she raised her flute and winked at Helena who was still looking mildly embarrassed. “To the Bertinelli's, I thank you for raising such a beautiful and kind woman… I can’t wait to marry her and come live here with all of you. To family!” 

Dinah smiled when Helena’s mouth dropped in shock -- clearly she never once thought Dinah would want to live here with her. 

“Yes!” Rosa raised her flute higher and Dinah was pleased to see her father’s tears had disappeared as he raised his glass too. Everyone’s glasses were raised for cheers. 

“To family!” 

Everyone went ahead of them to dinner and Dinah approached Helena, clinking her glass flirtatiously. “Congrats.” 

Helena smiled, taking a sip of her champagne. “You sure you want to live here? I know you like your privacy…”

Dinah rolled her eyes before leaning up to kiss Helena’s lips softly. 

“We just need to figure out how to be quiet when we have sex and keep that dildo in a safe, but yes. I love your grandparents and I love you. And your grandmother’s cooking is, well, it’s up there too.” 

Helena looked like she would self-combust from the idea of her grandparents hearing them have sex.


End file.
